Afghanistan’s Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar has made history by becoming the youngest bowler to take multiple five-wicket hauls in ODIs as a teenager. He achieved this milestone on December 21 during the 3rd and final ODI against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club.
At just 18, Ghazanfar’s incredible spell of 5/33, with an economy of 3.3, helped Afghanistan bowl Zimbabwe out for just 127 runs in 30.1 overs. This was his second ODI five-wicket haul. The first came in November against Bangladesh in Sharjah, where he took an amazing 6/26 in 6.3 overs.
Looking back at the stats, Ghazanfar joins some big names like Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan, who also took five wickets in an ODI as teenagers. However, he stands out because he managed to grab a second fifer while still in his teens. This puts him in a special group, alongside cricket legends like Waqar Younis, Shaheen Afridi, and Saqlain Mushtaq, who achieved similar feats at a young age.
Here are some highlights of Ghazanfar’s stats:
- He has played 11 ODIs, picking up 21 wickets at an average of 13.57.
- His economy rate in ODIs is just 4.05.
- In the series against Zimbabwe, he took 9 wickets in 3 matches, with an economy rate of 2.96.
- In List A cricket, he has 25 wickets from 15 matches.
In the IPL Auction 2025, held in Jeddah, Mumbai Indians bought Ghazanfar for a massive ₹4.8 crore, way above his base price of ₹75 lakh. Even Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore tried to get him, but MI ended up winning the bid.
Ghazanfar was with KKR last season as a replacement for Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and they went on to win the IPL title!
With performances like this, Ghazanfar is proving he’s one of the most exciting young players in cricket. It will be exciting to see what he achieves next!
