Afghanistan's enigmatic 18-year-old Allah Ghazanfar has been rewarded by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) for his impressive performance in the recent ODI series against Zimbabwe.
The Afghan side are currently in Zimbabwe for a full multi-format series. After whitewashing Zimbabwe in a three-match T20I and three-match ODI series, the Afghanistan cricket team is all set to take on the hosts in a two-match Test series.
The first Test will be played from December 26 at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, and the venue will also host the second and final Test between the two teams from January 2, 2025.
Allah Ghazanfar earned his maiden Test call-up after the excellent ODI series against Zimbabwe
Meanwhile, Allah Ghazanfar, who is yet to make his T20I debut, was the standout performer in the recently concluded three-match ODI series against the Zimbabwe cricket team. The enigmatic spinner dazzled with the ball and helped Afghanistan sweep the ODI series 2-0 with the first ODI washed out at the Harare Sports Club in Harare.
Ghazanfar finished the ODI series as the leading wicket-taker with 9 scalps at an impressive average of 5.22 against Zimbabwe. His impressive ODI display earned him his maiden call-up to the Test squad just a day before the opening match of the two-match Test series against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
Now, the youngster is all set to make his Test debut after taking the cricketing world by storm with his impressive bowling performances in domestic cricket, where he took 29 wickets in 16 T20s and 25 wickets in 15 List A matches.
On 25 December, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) added Allah Ghazanfar to the Test squad for the two-match Test series against Zimbabwe. “Squad update! AM Ghazanfar has been added to the Afghanistan squad for the two-match Test series against Zimbabwe, with the first match scheduled to begin tomorrow in Bulawayo,” ACB said in an official statement.
🚨 Squad update! 🚨
AM Ghazanfar has been added to Afghanistan's squad for the two-match Test series against Zimbabwe, with the first match scheduled to begin tomorrow in Bulawayo. 👍#Afghanistan.Atlan | #ZIMvAFG | #GloriousNationVictoriousTeam pic.twitter.com/fR5KRHqeSS
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) December 25, 2024
Afghanistan Test lineup for Zimbabwe series:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rehmat Shah (VC), Ikram Ali Khel (WK), Afsar Zazai (WK), Riaz Hassan, Siddiqullah Atal, Zahir Khan, Ziaur Rahman Akbar, Zahir Shehzad, Rashid Khan, Abdul Malik, Bahir Shah Mahboob. Ismat Alam, Azmatullah Omarzai, Yamin Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmad Afghan, Naveed Zadran, Farid Ahmad Malik, and Allah Ghazanfar.
Allah Ghazanfar's journey is as impressive as his bowling
Notably, Allah Ghazanfar has so far represented the Afghanistan side in 11 ODI matches and taken 21 wickets at an average of 13.57 and an economy rate of 4.05. In November 2024, the Afghan spinner made headlines after winning the jackpot in the IPL 2025 auction, where he was bought by five-time champion Mumbai Indians for INR 4.8 crore.
Ullah began his cricketing journey in 2020 despite his father's opposition to the idea. His father believed that academics were more important than sports and it was a waste of time, as cricket was not well understood in their community.
Initially, Allah played as a fast bowler, but his coach, Roz Khan, saw his potential as a bowler and encouraged him to focus on his bowling, and he soon became an accomplished fielder, impressing the Afghan cricket stars in his early days.