Top 5 Afghanistan Spinners of all time

Afghanistan national cricket team has a highly-rated assembly of spinners who chipped in with exceptional performances in international cricket. It is worth mentioning here that the Afghanistan spinners have been immensely successful, especially in the T20 format.

Whenever batters are in attacking mode, the Afghanistan spinners try their maximum best to keep them in check. In the process, the batters try to play risky shots and get dismissed. Afghanistani spinners are also part of the cash-rich Indian Premier League.

Afghanistan have quality spinners in their arsenal who are capable of taking crucial wickets whenever it matters the most. In this listicle, let’s now take a glimpse at the five best Afghanistani spinners of all time.

5. Samiullah Shinwari

Samiullah Shinwari plays as a leg-break bowler and a right-handed batsman for the Afghanistan national cricket team. He made his international debut in April 2009. Since then, he went on to represent the nation in 84 ODIs and 65 T20Is.

The Nabgarhar-born is known for his fast run-up and casual ball release. He is known for his ability to deceive the batsmen with his deliveries. Samiullah took 46 wickets in the 50-over format whereas he bagged 28 wickets in the shortest format of the game.

Shinwari has bagged 1 four-wicket haul in ODIs, 1 four-wicket haul and a fifer in T20Is. He registered his personal best figures of 4/31 in ODIs and 5/13 in T20Is. Notably, he scored 1811 runs including 11 fifties in ODIs and 1013 runs in T20Is including 2 fifties.

4. Amir Hamza

Amir Hamza functions as a slow left-arm orthodox spinner for the Afghanistan national cricket team. He made his international debut for Afghanistan in an ODI against Pakistan in 2012. Since then, he played games across formats – 4 Tests, 31 ODIs and 33 T20Is.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get many opportunities to fulfil his full potential. It is worth noting that he performed pretty well as a spinner whenever he got a chance to play. He has taken 18 wickets in Test cricket including two five-wicket hauls.

He registered his personal best bowling figures of 6/75 in Tests, 4/17 in ODIs and 3/39 in T20Is. On the other hand, he took 40 wickets in ODIs including a four-wicket haul whereas he accounted for 30 dismissals in the shortest format.

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3. Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been one of the highly-rated spinners in the Afghanistan national cricket team. At the age of 16 years and 325 days, Mujeeb Ur Rahman became the youngest cricketer to claim a five-wicket haul in an ODI against Zimbabwe.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman is best known for his incredible potential to bowl off-spin with a carrom ball. Besides that, the right-arm spinner has developed other variations like the regular off-spin, making precise changes to his pace and flight.

With a repertoire of deliveries in his sleeve, he was able to take 86 wickets in 61 ODIs including 3 four-wicket hauls and a fifer whereas he took 56 wickets in 43 T20Is including 1 four-wicket haul and a fifer. He took one wicket in the solitary Test he played.

2. Mohammad Nabi

Mohammad Nabi is one of the two spinners from Afghanistan who took more than 200 wickets in international cricket. Notably, he played a substantial role in the team’s rise to the top level. He has been one of the potent spin weapons for the team.

Moreover, he led the team during their first appearances in the 2014 Asia Cup and the 2015 Cricket World Cup. He has also been involved in several T20 franchise leagues across the world. Nabi scored 3046 runs in ODIs including 1 century and 15 fifties.

He scored 1825 runs in T20Is including 5 fifties. Nabi might not have got a wide range of bowling variations but he was able to vary his pace and flight to keep the batters guessing. Nabi took 150 wickets in ODIs, 87 wickets in T20Is and 8 wickets in Tests.

1. Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan earned his reputation as a world-class spinner, courtesy of his bowling variations, consistency, accuracy and match-winning abilities. On top of that, he has showcased his remarkable composure and control even in intense situations.

He is best known for bowling crucial overs during the middle and the fag end of the innings. Rashid Khan has time and again kept the opposition’s batting line-up in check by taking wickets in clutch moments of the game. Rashid Khan took 34 wickets in 5 Tests.

He has been the best spinner for Afghanistan in ODIs and T20Is. Having played 89 ODIs, he has taken 167 wickets including 6 four-wicket hauls and 4 fifers. The T20 specialist has taken a total of 130 wickets in 82 matches including 4 four-wicket hauls and 2 fifers.

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