Shafiqullah

A batsman who can also do a stint behind the stumps if called upon, Shafiqullah tends to either go big or get absolutely nothing at all.

Born: August 7, 1989

Role: Right-hand bat, wicketkeeper

A right-hand batsman and occasional wicketkeeper, Shafiqullah Shafiq ODI debut came in the 2009 tour of the Netherlands, the same year as his List A debut against Denmark. His breakout year ended well after he was part of the team that won the 2009 ACC Twenty20 Cup, including the final against UAE.

And most of Shafiquallah’s achievements have come in the shortest format. While he only has one half century and a strike rate of 16.14 in his 41 matches to date, he did manage to score a mammoth 214 runs off just 71 deliveries at a strike rate of 304 including 21 sixes and 15 fours in the 2017 Paragon Nangarhar Champions Trophy, a domestic T20 tournament.

That score propelled Khateez Cricket Academy to a formidable 351, and an eventual 244-run win over Kabul Start Cricket Club.

That was then followed a year later by a score that rewrote cricket history. His 200 not out off 89 balls for the Kabul Region against the Boost Region in the Alokozay Ahmad Shah Abdali four-day tournament, which included 22 sixes and 11 fours, became the fastest double century in the history of first-class cricket.

On the international stage, Shafaq made his debut against Ireland in the Quadrangular Twenty20 Series in Sri Lanka in February 2010 and formed part of Afghanistan’s campaigns in the last three editions of the ICC World T20 in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

Having been selected for Nangarhar in the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League in September, Shafiqullah will hope to claim a more regular sport for his country, having played just seven matches across all formats in 2018.