AFG vs BAN: Who is Allah Ghazanfar? Afghanistan's 18-year-old wizard of spin bowling

In the first ODI in Sharjah, Bangladesh were cruising at 132/3 while chasing a target of 236 vs Afghanistan. But from there it all fell apart. The innings folded on 143 and the Afghans won by 92 runs. That means the last seven wickets fell for a mere 11 runs. From dominating the game, Bangladesh ended up losing by a huge margin.

So who was responsible for Bangladesh’s swift demise to so speak. Well, it was an 18-year-old spin wizard whose web of destruction left the Bangladeshi batters all at sea. The name is Allah Ghazanfar and do not be surprised if it keeps on popping up in the coming years.

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Allah’s final figures read 6/26 in 6.3 overs. He spun a deadly web around Bangladesh’s batters and there was no escape. A game that was practically won, slipped out of their grasp. For Afghanistan, it was a memorable victory and the hero was the teenage sensation. Allah is showing he is here to stay and belongs at the highest level.

His figures are the best in ODIs between Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Shakib Al Hasan’s 5/29 in 2019 was the previous best. Allah first wanted to be a fast bowler but former Afghanistan captain Dawlat Ahmadzai turned him into a mystery spinner. From there was no looking back for this young man. He was also part of the KKR squad that won the IPL earlier this year though he never played a game. Allah replaced Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the KKR squad.

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"He is a special talent and has a good future for Afghanistan. He bowled well in the first spell, but he bowled that no-ball and I asked him why did he bowl a no-ball. I am very happy with the options we have on the bench," said Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, as per AFP, according to a NDTV report.

Allah has 10 wickets to his name from six games in ODI cricket so far. His debut was earlier this year against Ireland. He had a good show in the Under-19 World Cup with eight wickets in four matches and that earned him a place in the senior side. He also won the Player of the Match award in the Emerging Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka A as Afghanistan went on to clinch the title.A fresh talent that is realising its true potential which is good news for Afghanistan cricket.