Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar of Afghanistan on Saturday became the first bowler to take multiple five-wicket hauls in ODIs as a teenager. The 18-year-old Afghan spinner, who was sold to Mumbai Indians for Rs 4.80 Crore in the recently held IPL Mega Auctions, managed the unique feat in the third ODI against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club.
AM Ghazanfar returned with the figures of 33/5 (10-0-3305-3.3 RPO) against Zimbabwe, helping Rashid Khan's team to all out the home team for a deplorable. Earlier in November, Ghazanfar had claimed six wickets in Sharjah against Bangladesh (6.3-1-26-6).
Interestingly, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar is not the first Afghan to have claimed five wickets as a teenager. Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan managed it before him to join the elite club that consists of others like Waqar Younis, Gulshan Jha, Wasim Akram, Aftab Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Aaqib Javed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Sandeep Lamichhane, Mustafizur Rahman, Abdul Razzaq, Shariz Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq. However, none of them managed to clinch another fifer in their teen years, a brilliant record that Ghazanfar has now claimed.
Who is AM Ghazanfar of Mumbai Indians?
The youngster made his ODI debut for Afghanistan against Ireland in March. His three-wicket haul in a win over South Africa and a six-wicket performance against Bangladesh further showcased his unparalleled talent. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar's contributions (six wickets in four matches) led to Afghanistan’s triumph in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup.
Capable of hitting a few beyond the boundary rope easily, Allah Ghazanfar is an asset to any T20 team.
