CHENNAI: AT just 18 years old, Afghanistan tweaker Allah Ghazanfar made heads turn. In Afghanistan 'A's road to the 2024 edition of the Asia Cup Rising Stars (formerly known as Emerging Asia Cup), he picked up the player of the match award in the final with figures of 2/14. Then, in just his sixth ODI for Afghanistan later that year, he scalped six wickets against Bangladesh. Since then, Ghazanfar has been on a learning curve, with injuries and below-par performances.
Reflecting on the last two and a half years as a bowler, Ghazanfar was thankful for the experiences. "When I started in 2024, I had a goal in my heart — to represent the Afghanistan team. And now, I have played across formats, and have played in different T20 leagues across the world," he told this daily in an interview facilitated by Sony Sports Network.
During his rise as a spinner, lucrative IPL contracts came his way. His first stint was with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 as a replacement to his compatriot Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who was injured then. The following year, the tweaker was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 4.8 crore after a bidding war. However, he did not make an appearance then due to an injury. He was retained this season and finally got the opportunity to play. He took 15 wickets in 11 matches in IPL 2026. "A cricketer's life revolves more on how they can improve themselves in the next match. I learnt from it and I kept improving. After performances in the Emerging Asia Cup 2024 and that ODI against Bangladesh, interest from IPL teams followed. But the mindset to improve remained, despite tough outings in the IPL," he said.
Playing across different parts of the world and learning to bowl on different wickets has helped the youngster. Ghazanfar has turned out for MI New York in MLC, MI Emirates in ILT20, Barbados Tridents in CPL, and Derbyshire in Vitality Blast, to name a few. "Playing in different wickets, weather conditions has helped me understand how to bowl in different situations. It has also helped me with preparing for the national team, as I have an idea of how a particular pitch would act," he said.
But playing on flat wickets in India was a harsh lesson for the young spinner. In the three-match ODI series earlier this year, Ghazanfar scalped only one wicket while averaging 112. "We tried to keep the line tight and we knew if we bowled outside of the line, the ball would go straight to the boundary ropes. The lesson was to keep 100 per cent focus on every ball we bowl and try to make it difficult for the batters to score runs," he said.
The Rising Stars Asia Cup is a great opportunity for him to show that he has learnt his lessons. "I have played this tournament twice and it was an enjoyable experience. This time, there are a lot of new players and it will be great to go all the way and win the tournament," he signed off.
Watch Men's Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026, starting November 19 LIVE on Sony Sports Network
