Formerly Asghar Stanikzai, Asghar is a middle-order batsman who took over as Afghanistan captain from Mohammad Nabi in 2015 and changed his name to Afghan in 2018 - a true leader.
Born: December 22, 1987
Role: Right-hand bat, right-arm medium-fast
Formerly Asghar Stanikzai, the middle-order batsman has developed into a fine captain for Afghanistan since taking the reins from Mohammad Nabi in February 2015 for the 50-over World Cup.
However, Afghanistan’s chances to qualify for this year’s tournament looked incredibly slim when they lost Scotland, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong to leave them on the brink of an exit from the ICC World Cup Qualifiers after just the first round.
Enter Afghan, who protected the national identity of Afghan citizens as much by returning to the side only two weeks after having surgery for appendicitis as he claims he did by changing his name.
His comeback coincided with three consecutive victories in Afghanistan and saw them bounce back to win the World Cup Qualifiers.
He now leads a side that last year whitewashed Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in T20I series’ and beat West Indies, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh again in separate ODI fixtures.
However, Afghan declared his side’s tie against India in the 2018 Asia Cup was “as good as a victory”, and he will hope to inspire similar performances in the lead up to the World Cup and in the tournament itself.
While Afghanistan’s appearances in the Test arena are still in its rudimentary stages, Afghan led the side in their first ever five-day match against India in Bengaluru, and despite losing in two days, the foundation has been laid for Afghanistan to compete in further Tests.
A man who has scored over 2,000 international runs since making his debut in 2009, Afghan will hope to prove to be an instrumental figure once again for his country.
AFGHANISTAN PLAYER PROFILES
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