Asghar Afghan

Mohammad Asghar Afghan (Pashto: محمد اصغر افغان; born Mohammad Asghar Stanikzai) is an Afghan former cricketer who had captained the Afghanistan national cricket team. Asghar is a right-handed batsman and a medium-fast bowler. In May 2018, he was named as the captain of Afghanistan, for their inaugural Test match, against India.^[1][2] He made his Test debut, against India, on 14 June 2018.^[3] On 2 August 2018, he changed his last name from Stanikzai to Afghan.^[4][5]

Asghar Afghan
اصغر افغان

Afghan in 2020
Personal information
Full name	Mohammad Asghar Afghan
Born	Mohammad Asghar Stanikzai (1987-12-22) 22 December 1987 (age 36)[citation needed] Kabul, Afghanistan
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium-fast
Role	Middle order batsman
Relations	Karim Janat (brother)
International information
National side	Afghanistan (2004–2021)
Test debut (cap 2)	14 June 2018 v India
Last Test	10 March 2021 v Zimbabwe
ODI debut (cap 1)	19 April 2009 v Scotland
Last ODI	26 January 2021 v Ireland
ODI shirt no.	44
T20I debut (cap 1)	1 February 2010 v Ireland
Last T20I	31 October 2021 v Namibia
T20I shirt no.	44
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2017	Amo Region
2017	Kabul Eagles
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI T20I FC Matches 6 114 75 29 Runs scored 440 2,424 1,382 1,861 Batting average 44.00 24.73 21.93 44.30 100s/50s 1/3 1/12 0/4 6/6 Top score 164 101 62 164 Balls bowled 18 139 4 93 Wickets 0 3 1 0 Bowling average – 30.33 4.00 – 5 wickets in innings – 0 0 – 10 wickets in match – 0 0 – Best bowling – 1/1 1/4 – Catches/stumpings 2/– 24/– 20/– 17/–
Source: Cricinfo, 21 July 2022
Medal record Representing  Afghanistan Men's Cricket Asian Games 2010 Guangzhou Team

In April 2019, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) dropped him as captain of the Afghanistan team across all three formats.^[6][7] However, in December 2019, the ACB reappointed Asghar Stanikzai as the captain of the Afghanistan cricket team across all formats.^[8] In March 2021, during the series against Zimbabwe, Afghan played in his 50th T20I as Afghanistan's captain.^[9] In May 2021, he was sacked as the national team captain.^[10]

In October 2021, ahead of Afghanistan's match against Namibia in the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Afghan announced his retirement from all forms of cricket following the game.^[11]

Early life

Afghan was born in 1987 in Kabul, Afghanistan.^{[citation needed]} He was a refugee in Peshawar, Pakistan, where he started playing cricket along with Mohammad Nabi, Dawlat Zadran, and Shapoor Zadran.^[12]

Early career

Afghan made his representative international debut for Afghanistan U-17s in the 2004 ACC Under-17 competition, where he played his debut match against the United Arab Emirates Under-17s.^[13] His debut match for the senior squad came against Oman^[14] in the 2004 ACC Trophy, as well as the 2006 ACC Trophy and the 2007 ACC Twenty20 Cup.

Afghan was a member of the Afghanistan side that, from 2008 to 2009, won the World Cricket League Division Five, Division Four and Division Three, earning them promotion to Division Two and allowing them to take part in the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier where they gained One Day International status.

In the World Cup Qualifier, Afghan made his List-A debut, against Bermuda^[15] and later in the tournament he made his One Day International debut against Scotland.^[16] His first-class debut came in Intercontinental Cup against a Zimbabwe XI in a match that Afghanistan drew.^[17] Later, in November 2009 he was a member of Afghanistan's 2009 ACC Twenty20 Cup winning squad.

Rising career

Afghan made his Twenty20 International debut against Ireland in the 2010 Quadrangular Twenty20 Series in Sri Lanka.^[18] Later on in February 2010, Afghan played a single match in Afghanistan's victorious 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, playing in the final against Ireland.^[19] Afghan was later named in Afghanistan's squad for the 2010 ICC World Twenty20.^[20]

In April 2010, Afghan was a key member of Afghanistan's 2010 ACC Trophy Elite winning squad which defeated Nepal in the final. Afghan ended the tournament as the third leading run scorer with 253 runs, including a score of 151 runs from 83 balls against Bhutan.^[21]

On 1 March 2014, Afghan's 90* helped Afghanistan win against Bangladesh which was their first win against a Test-playing nation. He and Samiullah Shenwari put on a 164 runs partnership for the sixth wicket which is the fifth highest Partnership for the sixth wicket in the history of ODIs and the third highest ODI Partnership for Afghanistan.

In February 2018, he had his appendix removed, therefore missing the start of the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament.^[22]

In September 2018, he was named in Kandahar's squad in the first edition of the Afghanistan Premier League tournament.^[23] He was the leading run-scorer for the Kandahar Knights in the tournament, with 264 runs in eight matches.^[24]

In April 2019, he was named in Afghanistan's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.^[25][26] The following month, in the ODI series against Scotland, he became the second cricketer for Afghanistan to play in 100 ODI matches.^[27] In September 2021, he was named in Afghanistan's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.^[28] Afghan announced his retirement from international cricket mid-way through the tournament, playing his final match against Namibia. He later explained that their loss against Pakistan made him decide that the time was right to retire as the team was too hurt and he wanted to give younger players a chance.^[29][30][31]

References

1. "Afghanistan Squads for T20I Bangladesh Series and on-eoff India Test Announced". Afghanistan Cricket Board. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
2. "Afghanistan pick four spinners for inaugural Test". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
3. "Only Test, Afghanistan tour of India at Bengaluru, Jun 14-18 2018". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
4. "Captain Asghar changes surname to Afghan". Afghanistan Cricket Board. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
5. "Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai changes his name to Asghar Afghan". Sport360. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
6. "Asghar Afghan removed as Afghanistan announce split captaincy". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
7. "Rahmat, Rashid given leadership roles in Afghanistan revamp". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
8. "Asghar Afghan reappointed Afghanistan captain across formats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
9. "AFG vs ZIM Stats Preview 1st T20I Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe". India Fantasy. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
10. "Asghar Afghan sacked as Afghanistan opt for split captaincy". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
11. "Asghar Afghan to retire from all formats after T20 World Cup game against Namibia". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
12. "Afghanistan's indomitable spirit". The New Indian Express.
13. Afghanistan Under-17s v United Arab Emirates Under-17s (2004)
14. Afghanistan v Oman (2004)
15. Afghanistan v Bermuda (2009)
16. Afghanistan v Scotland (2009)
17. Zimbabwe XI v Afghanistan (2009)
18. Afghanistan v Ireland (2010)
19. Afghanistan v Ireland (2010)
20. ICC World Twenty20 Afghanistan squad
21. Afghanistan v Bhutan (2010)
22. "Asghar Afghan to miss start of CWCQ campaign". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
23. "Afghanistan Premier League 2018 – All you need to know from the player draft". CricTracker. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
24. "Afghanistan Premier League, 2018/19 – Kandahar Knights: Batting and bowling averages". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
25. "Hamid Hassan picked in Afghanistan's World Cup squad; Naib to captain". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
26. "Asghar Afghan included in Gulbadin Naib-led World Cup squad". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
27. "Afghanistan regroup under new leadership with eye on World Cup". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
28. "Rashid Khan steps down as Afghanistan captain over team selection". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
29. "Asghar Afghan to retire from all formats after T20 World Cup game against Namibia". ESPNcricinfo. 30 October 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
30. "Emotional Asghar Afghan explains retirement decision after illustrious career". International Cricket Council. 31 October 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
31. "Loss against Pakistan forced me to retire: Asghar Afghan". The Hindu. 31 October 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2023.

28. ASIA CUP 2014: Can Afghanistan Battle it Out Against the Asian Giants?

External links

• Asghar Afghan at ESPNcricinfo