Mohammad Shahzad

An explosive right-handed wicket-keeper batter, Mohammad Shahzad is an Afghan cricketer who represents his nation at the international level. 

Known as a fearless cricketer, Shahzad has displayed his skills time after time and is one of the key players in the Afghan national cricket team.

Shahzad joined the Afghanistan side during the 2009 Cricket World Cup Qualifier in South Africa. His strong performances throughout the competition helped Afghanistan obtain the One-Day International status.

He made his ODI debut for Afghanistan during their tour of the Netherlands in 2009. In the second match of the series, Shahzad created history by becoming the first-ever Afghan player to smash a century in an ODI game. He slammed a majestic 110 and helped his side to a 6-wicket win.

Shahzad played a crucial role in his nation’s success during the 2015-17 ICC Inter-Continental Cup run. He scored crucial runs against Papua New Guinea and Namibia as Afghanistan were granted full member status by the International Cricket Council in 2017.

His explosive batting has been crucial in the shortest format of the game. The power-hitter played two crucial innings in the 2015 ICC World T20 Qualifiers. He amassed 74 against UAE and went on to score 75 against a quality Scotland bowling lineup. His innings of 75 was a part of Afghanistan’s highest ever total at that point of time (210). Moreover, he reached his fifty in just 26 deliveries.

In May 2018, Shahzad was named in Afghanistan’s squad for their inaugural Test match which was played against India.

The Nangarhar born slammed the joint-fastest half-century in T10 cricket, when he reached the landmark in just 12 deliveries for Rajputs.

However, prior to the 2019 ICC World Cup in 2019, he was a part of the needless controversy. Initially, Shahzad was named in the Afghanistan squad for the World Cup but was later removed from the side due to a knee injury. Later in an interview, the dynamic batter stated that he had no injury, but despite that was removed from the World Cup squad.

A special talent, Shahzad has truly justified his skills at the international level. Don’t get fooled by his bulging waistline, he is also an incredible wicket-keeper who has served Afghan cricket for more than a decade now.

(As of November 2021)