Sayed Shirzad

A young explosive all-rounder, Sayed Shirzad is a left-arm pacer and more than a handy lower-order batsman who shot to fame in the introductory season of Afghanistan Premier League, picking up 16 wickets in eight games.

After representing the U-19 Afghanistan squad for a few years, Shirzad made his first-class debut in the 2013 ICC Intercontinental Cup against Kenya on October 6th, 2013. On his debut, he scalped five wickets in two innings in an impressive victory.

Shirzad showed great character and leadership skills in the early part of his domestic career which caught the eyes of the national selectors. He soon got his maiden cap for Afghanistan in a T20 match against Oman in which he took three wickets in the second innings and won the game for his side with five other debutants.

After spending seven years in the domestic circuit, he played his first List A match for the Boost Region in the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament on July 11th, 2018. He took 2 wickets and bowled an economical spell in his ten-over quota but ended up on the losing side. His majestic List A season paved a path for him finally making his ODI debut. Shirzad made his ODI debut against Ireland on March 2, 2019.

Losing his place from the side after his debut, he lost his focus and was quite inconsistent in the international formats. However, after three years he regained his spot in the side just before the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup replacing Aftab Alam who was ruled out due to exceptional circumstances. Four years down the lane, after making his T20 debut in 2015, he played his maiden Test match on 10th March 2021 against Zimbabwe, he scalped three wickets in his maiden Test match to stamp his authority in the international form.

(As of March 2021)