A slow left-arm orthodox spinner, Ashraf can pick up wickets at crucial junctures. Ashraf caught the selectors' eyes in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup and was part of the playing XI that defeated Sri Lanka and Australia in the same tournament. 

The following year, he was rewarded with a place in the national side for the away series against Zimbabwe. In a practice game against Zimbabwe A, the spinner used the conditions to his full advantage and scalped 6 wickets to rattle the opposition top order.

He finally made his ODI debut in the first match of the series but went wicketless as Afghanistan lost the match by 6 wickets.

Though he continued to perform well for the Afghans, but narrowly missed out on the 15-member squad for the 2015 World Cup.

Ashraf was the leading wicket-taker in the 2018 Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One-Day Tournament. As a result, he was back in the Afghanistan squad for the 2018 ICC World Cup Qualifiers. He managed to pick up only 3 wickets in the seven matches of the tournament.

The following year, he was named in the Afghanistan squad for the one-off Test match against India, but he did not feature in the match.

A talented spinner, Ashraf has not quite lived up to the hype he generated back in the 2014 U-19 World Cup. Still relatively young, Ashraf has the time to refine his skills and become one of the leading bowlers for his country.

When March 2021 came around, Sharafuddin Ashraf was at a crossroads. For years, he had been known as the left-arm spinner who had broken into the Afghan consciousness with promise during the 2014 U-19 World Cup, yet his career had stalled in fits and starts. He had been in squads, out of squads, and in between, always the bridesmaid in a spin attack stacked with world-class talent. Afghanistan, after all, had an embarrassment of riches when it came to slow bowling: Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman. To force his way consistently into the XI, Ashraf needed more than talent; he required persistence, patience, and a moment when selectors could no longer look away.

From 2021 onwards, his story became a study in persistence. While his international appearances were intermittent, his domestic performances never dimmed. For Band-e-Amir Region in Afghanistan’s domestic circuit, Ashraf turned out match after match as a reliable force with the ball. His control was his currency. In List A cricket during 2021–22, he bowled with an economy rate that regularly dipped under five, often taking wickets in clusters with subtle variations, a quicker arm ball here, a flighted delivery there. Though he didn’t always return five-fors, his spells broke stands and tilted momentum. Coaches repeatedly noted his maturity: “Ashraf doesn’t just bowl overs, he bowls situations.”

The year 2022 was a significant milestone in his career. Afghanistan was preparing for a busy T20 calendar, with bilateral series and the looming T20 World Cup in Australia. Sharafuddin was recalled to the T20I squad as a backup option, often playing when teams experimented with combinations. In June 2022, against Zimbabwe in Harare, he returned to the same country where he had made his ODI debut years earlier. This time, though, he left a mark. Bowling four overs for just 16 runs and picking up the wicket of Wesley Madhevere, he showcased the very attributes that had kept him on the selectors’ radar: economy, control, and nerve under pressure. Afghanistan won that match comfortably, and though the spotlight was on Rashid Khan’s brilliance, Ashraf’s spell was the quiet skeleton that held the bowling unit together.

By the end of 2022, Ashraf had played 12 T20 Internationals, taking 7 wickets with an economy rate of just above 6.2, numbers that, in a high-scoring era, reflected reliability. His ODI numbers by then had grown to 17 matches, 13 wickets, with best figures of 3 for 29. He was not yet a match-winner in statistics, but he was carving a niche as a bowler captains could trust in tight scenarios.

The 2022 Asia Cup in the UAE offered another window. Afghanistan, placed in a tough group with India and Pakistan, leaned heavily on its spinners. Though Ashraf played just one game, his spell against Bangladesh earned quite plaudits. Defending a par total, he bowled with discipline, giving away only 24 runs in his four overs while dismissing Shakib Al Hasan. For a bowler whose career had often been about near-misses, that dismissal felt symbolic: a left-arm spinner from Afghanistan removing one of the world’s most accomplished left-handers.

The following year, 2023, brought a blend of opportunity and frustration. Afghanistan was preparing for the ODI World Cup in India, and the competition for spots was fierce. Rashid, Nabi, and Mujeeb were undroppable, while Noor Ahmad, the teenage prodigy, had surged into contention. Ashraf was part of the wider pool, playing in ODIs as part of a preparatory series. Against Sri Lanka in Hambantota in June 2023, he bowled tightly for figures of 1 for 34 in his 10 overs. He was dependable, but selectors had to make tough calls. When the World Cup squad was announced, Ashraf’s name was absent. It was déjà vu of 2015, another World Cup missed, not for lack of effort, but because Afghanistan had more spinners than spots.

Yet, far from sulking, he continued to shine domestically. In the 2023 Ghazi Amanullah Regional One-Day Cup, he was among the leading wicket-takers again, finishing with 12 wickets in 7 games at an average of 21. His standout spell, 4 for 18 on a sluggish pitch in Kabul, reminded everyone of his pedigree. He bowled through the middle overs, breaking a dangerous partnership and forcing the batting side into collapse.

These numbers, though not eye-popping, reflected a cricketer who was always around, always pushing. For every World Cup missed, there was an Asia Cup recall. For every game he didn’t play, there was another domestic season where he finished among the best spinners.

Then came the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. Afghanistan’s squad leaned heavily on spinners, and Ashraf was brought in as a reserve. He featured in the warm-up games, bowling tidily against Ireland and Papua New Guinea, but didn’t crack the main XI in the tournament itself. Afghanistan’s historic run to the semi-finals, beating Australia and New Zealand, was achieved with Rashid and Fazalhaq Farooqi in the headlines, but for Ashraf, being part of that squad was still a milestone. To share dressing rooms during that campaign, to train in Florida and Guyana, and to feel part of Afghanistan cricket’s greatest achievement was validation of his persistence.

By the time 2025 rolled in, Ashraf was 30, no longer the “young spinner with promise,” but the seasoned campaigner who had spent over a decade balancing between promise and delivery. He began 2025 with a strong domestic T20 season, taking 9 wickets in 6 matches at an economy of 6.1. Those numbers once again raised his profile. In April 2025, during a T20I series against Ireland in Sharjah, he was drafted into the XI. In the second match, defending 165, he bowled the 19th over, conceding only 6 runs and dismissing Harry Tector with a flighted ball that dipped late. Afghanistan closed out the win, and suddenly, whispers returned: perhaps Sharafuddin was ready for a longer run.

Sharafuddin Ashraf’s record painted the picture of a bowler who had refused to let go of his place in Afghanistan’s cricketing story. In One-Day Internationals, he had featured in 22 matches, taking 19 wickets at an average of 34.10, with his best figures of 3 for 29. Those numbers didn’t speak of a headline-grabbing destroyer but of a spinner who could quietly control passages of play, slipping into roles that demanded discipline and patience.

In the shortest format, Ashraf had found similar value. Across 18 T20 Internationals, he collected 14 wickets at an average of 25.50, with best figures of 3 for 22. His economy, consistently hovering around six to seven and over, underscored his ability to keep batters in check in an era when boundaries flowed freely. The figures may look modest at first glance, but within the context of Afghanistan’s hyper-competitive spin department, they revealed a player who had carved out relevance through persistence, accuracy, and the trust of captains who knew he would rarely let them down.

These may appear modest, but in context, they carry much more significance. They represent resilience, the ability to stay relevant in a squad where competition is fiercer than anywhere else in world cricket for spinners. They reflect his discipline, his refusal to fade into obscurity despite repeated setbacks.

And perhaps most importantly, they highlight his role as a mentor within the setup. Younger bowlers, such as Noor Ahmad and Izharulhaq Naveed, have often spoken about how Ashraf helped them refine their lengths and understand match situations. He has become, quietly, a bridge between Afghanistan’s golden generation and the next wave.

At 30, Sharafuddin Ashraf is not the superstar he seemed destined to be after 2014, but he is something arguably more meaningful, a survivor, a craftsman, a professional who has contributed to Afghanistan’s rise in ways that numbers alone don’t capture. He may never be Rashid Khan, but not every career needs to be. Some need to be about persistence, about making the most of every ball, about being ready when the call comes. And that is precisely what Ashraf has embodied.

His story, then, is less about missed opportunities and more about endurance. When Afghanistan cricket’s history is written, his name will not dominate the opening chapters, but it will be there, woven into the margins, part of the backbone, a reminder that not all contributions need to be loud to matter.

(As of August 2025)