On Saturday, 18-year-old spinner Allah Ghazanfar made headlines by taking five wickets in a One Day International (ODI) match against Zimbabwe in Harare. After winning the toss, Afghanistan chose to field first, and Ghazanfar didn’t let his team down. Zimbabwe struggled and found themselves at just 120 runs for 9 wickets in 28 overs. The talented bowler finished with impressive figures of 10 overs, 33 runs, and 5 wickets.
This was Ghazanfar’s second five-wicket haul in only 11 ODIs! Afghanistan is leading the three-match ODI series 1-0 after the first match was canceled due to rain.
Ghazanfar caught everyone’s attention when he was bought by the Mumbai Indians for Rs 4.8 crore in the IPL 2025 auction. He originally started his journey as a fast bowler, but former Afghanistan captain Dawlat Ahmadzai helped him become a mystery spinner. He shone brightly during the 2024 Under-19 World Cup, where he took 8 wickets in just 4 matches.
His impressive performances led to his senior team debut against Ireland. Ghazanfar also earned the Player of the Match award in the Emerging Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka A, where Afghanistan won the title.
While he was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team that won the IPL 2024 championship, he didn’t play any matches as he replaced Mujeeb Ur Rahman. KKR wanted to bring him back but in a bidding battle, the Mumbai Indians secured him instead.
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