A teenage prodigy in Afghanistan’s long line of mystery spinners, Shafiqullah Ghafari is an upcoming young sensation for the Afghanistan cricket team. Part of the country’s u-19 setup, Ghafari showcased his talent at the international stage playing in the 2020 U-19 World Cup held in South Africa.

The teenager arrived at the domestic circuit in 2019 making his first-class debut against Mis Ainak Region on April 4th, 2019. He scalped two-second innings wickets to bowl out the opponents on 145 and eventually winnings his maiden domestic game by 380 runs.

The young leggie already has a handful of domestic games under his belt and his exploits at the U-19 World Cup was rewarded by a professional contract by Barbados Tridents but due to uncertainty in Afghanistan regarding the Taliban, he was not included in the final draft.

The latest addition to the long line of mystery spinners, Ghafari has certainly proven his worth in the U-19 World Cup. There is still some time before he makes his way into the country’s national setup, but he is ensuring that he makes all the right noises as he charts his course on to his final destination.

(As of August 2021)