A young Afghan cricketer who initiated his journey with a tennis ball is now the newest sensation of the cricket fraternity. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar etched his name in the record books with an impressive six-wicket haul. The mystry bowler secured an impressive 92 run victory for this side over Bangladesh on Wednesday. 

The bowler stated, “I started with tennis ball cricket and would play in my neighbourhood, but under the guidance of my coach, I started bowling spin, and soon, I developed an action, and there hasn’t been any looking back since”. 

Hailing from the Zurmat district in Paktia, Afghanistan, Ghazanfar began his cricket journey as a fast bowler. However, with guidance from former Afghanistan captain Dawlat Ahmadzai, he transitioned into an off-spinner specialising in finger spin. His style is often levelled with Ravichandran Ashwin. 

The 18-year-old recorded impressive figures of 6 for 26 in 6.3 overs as Bangladesh collapsed from 132/3 to 143 all out while chasing a target of 236. This performance set a new record for the best bowling figures in an Afghanistan-Bangladesh ODI, surpassing Shakib Al Hasan's 5-29 at Southampton in 2019.

Allah was in the squad of the IPL champions, KKR, for the 2023 season. Previously, he played for the Rawalpindi Raiders in the Pakistan Junior League and represented the Mis Ainak Knights in Afghanistan’s Shpageeza Cricket League.