Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 March 2006 Paktia Province, Afghanistan |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| Bowling | Right arm off spin |
| Role | Bowler |
| International information | |
| National side |
|
| ODI debut (cap 59) | 7 March 2024 v Ireland |
| Last ODI | 12 March 2024 v Ireland |
| Domestic team information | |
| Years | Team |
| 2022 | Mis Ainak Knights |
| Rawalpindi Raiders | |
| 2025 | Rangpur Riders |
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 18 April 2024 | |
Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar (Pashto: الله محمد غضنفر, born 20 March 2006) is an Afghan cricketer, who has represented the national side. He has played for Mis Ainak Knights in the Afghan Shpageeza Cricket League, and Rawalpindi Raiders in the Pakistan Junior League. He was selected for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2024 Indian Premier League, and the Colombo Strikers for the 2024 Lanka Premier League.
Personal life
[edit]Ghazanfar is from Paktia Province, Afghanistan. He has five older brothers, and as of 2022, he lived in Kabul.[1]
Domestic and franchise career
[edit]Ghazanfar started playing cricket in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] He began as a fast bowler,[1] and is now an off-spinner. He bowls finger spin,[3] due to him receiving teachings on spin bowling by former Afghanistan captain Dawlat Ahmadzai.[1] His bowling technique has been compared to Afghan international Mujeeb Zadran.[1] Ghazanfar trains at the Mirza Mohammad Katawazai Cricket Centre in Kabul,[4] and has trained with the Afghanistan national under-19 cricket team.[1]
Ghazanfar has played for the Mis Ainak Knights in the Afghan Shpageeza Cricket League.[4] On his debut, he took 1/27 in 4 overs, and he took four wickets in his second appearance.[3] In 2022, he played for Rawalpindi Raiders in the Pakistan Junior League; he was one of 12 overseas players in the competition.[5] He was included in the draft for the 2022–23 Big Bash League season, but was not selected.[1][6] He was included in the Far Western United team for the inaugural season of the Nepal T20 League.[7] At the age of 15, Ghazanfar was included in the auction for the 2023 Indian Premier League.[4] He was the youngest player entered into that year's auction,[3] and his base price for the auction was ₹20 lakh (US$24,000).[1][3] He went unsold in the auction.[8]
In March 2024, Ghazanfar was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders to play for them in the 2024 Indian Premier League at a base price of ₹20 lakh (US$24,000), as a replacement for Mujeeb Ur Rahman.[9] A few days beforehand, Mumbai Indians had tried to sign him to be a nets bowler, but he was unable to get a visa to perform that role for them.[2] He was selected by Colombo Strikers for the 2024 Lanka Premier League season.[10]
He was drafted to play for Rangpur Riders in the 2025 Bangladesh Premier League.
In November 2024, the Mumbai Indians franchise acquired the services of Ghazanfar for ₹4.80 crore in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction.
International career
[edit]In 2023, Ghazanfar played for Junior Champions (a team of representatives from the Afghanistan under-19 national team) in the Green Afghanistan One Day Cup.[11]
He was part of the 15-man Afghanistan squad for the 2024 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.[12] In the game against New Zealand, he picked up 3 wickets for 29 runs.[13]
Ghazanfar made his debut for the Afghanistan senior team in their series against Ireland, at the age of at the age of 16 years and 236 days.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Who is Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, 15-year-old Afghanistan spinner who has signed up for IPL 2023 auction". Sportstar. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ a b "From missing out on a chance to be MI's net bowler to KKR: Allah's story". New Indian Express. 29 March 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Who is 15-year-old Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, the youngest cricketer in the IPL 2023 auction shortlist?". Wisden. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ a b c "Afghan Prodigy & UAE's Hat-Trick Star Among 405 Shortlisted for 2023 IPL Auction". The Quint. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "12 Pakistan Junior League foreign players reach Lahore". Cric Wick. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "Meet This 15-Year Old Afghanistan Spinner Who Is Youngest Ever to Register in IPL 2023 Auctions". News18. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "A host of international talents to take part in Nepal T20 League". Online Khabar. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "TATA IPL 2023 Player Auction". Indian Premier League. 23 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "IPL 2024: KKR names Allah Ghazanfar Mujeeb Ur Rahman's replacement; Keshav Maharaj joins RR in place of Prasidh Krishna". Sports Star. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Lanka Premier League 2024: Colombo Strikers Gear Up For The Upcoming Edition - Check Full Squad". Outlook. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ "Afghanistan: One Day cricket cup underway in Khost". Amu TV. 13 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ "ACB Name Squad for the ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2024". Afghanistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "AFG19 vs NZ19, ICC Under-19 World Cup 2023/24, 11th Match, Group D at East London, January 23, 2024 – Full Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "All you need to know about Allah Ghazanfar, KKR's 16-year-old mystery spin recruit". Wisden. 29 March 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.