Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Not to be confused with Rahmanullah.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Personal information
Born (2001-11-28) 28 November 2001 (age 22)
Kabul, Afghanistan
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)[1]
BattingRight-handed
RoleTop-order batter, Wicket-keeper
International information
National side
Only Test (cap 32)28 February 2024 v Ireland
ODI debut (cap 50)21 January 2021 v Ireland
Last ODI20 September 2024 v South Africa
ODI shirt no.21
T20I debut (cap 38)14 September 2019 v Zimbabwe
Last T20I25 June 2024 v Bangladesh
T20I shirt no.21
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2017Boost Region
2017/18–2019/20Mis Ainak Region
2018Paktia Panthers
2018/19–presentKabul Region
2019/20Khulna Tigers
2020Kandy Tuskers
2021Kathmandu Kings XI
2021Multan Sultans
2021–2023Jaffna Kings
2022–2023Islamabad United
2022Guyana Amazon Warriors
2022Gujarat Titans
2023–presentRangpur Riders
2023–presentKolkata Knight Riders
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI T20I FC
Matches 1 38 52 13
Runs scored 51 1,295 1,367 992
Batting average 25.50 35.00 26.28 47.23
100s/50s 0/0 5/4 1/7 1/7
Top score 46 151 100 153
Catches/stumpings 2/0 22/2 27/4 18/5
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 1 March 2024

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Pashto: رحمان الله ګربز; born 28 November 2001) is an Afghan cricketer.[2][3] He made his international debut for Afghanistan in September 2019.[4] His parents hail from the Gurbaz tribe of Afghanistan. In January 2021, he became the first batsman for Afghanistan to score a century on debut in a One Day International (ODI), against Ireland.[5][6]

Early life

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Gurbaz was born on November 28, 2001, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Amidst the challenges of growing up in a rural and tumultuous area, Gurbaz found solace in cricket, playing with improvised equipment. His father, a school principal, encouraged him to pursue a career in medicine.[7] However, Gurbaz was irresistibly drawn to cricket, a path informally supported by his friends who recognized his natural talent.[7] His friend Mohammad Qadir provided transportation and even invested in cricket equipment for Gurbaz, while another friend, Hedayatullah, shared his own cricket bat.[7]

Gurbaz's cricketing pursuits were not initially well-received within his family.[7] After discovering his commitment to the sport, his brother Afsar reacted strongly by burning his cricket bat.[7] Despite this setback, support from his friends allowed him to continue playing.[7] His skills eventually caught the attention of Mohammad Khan Zadran, a former cricketer and coach, during a match where Gurbaz scored a half-century.[7] Impressed by his potential, Zadran invited Gurbaz to join an academy and offered to guide his advancement in cricket.[7]

Domestic and T20 career

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Gurbaz made his List A debut for Afghanistan A against Zimbabwe A during their tour to Zimbabwe on 27 January 2017.[8] He made his Twenty20 debut for Mis Ainak Knights in the 2017 Shpageeza Cricket League on 12 September 2017.[9] He made his first-class debut for Mis Ainak Region in the 2018 Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament on 1 March 2018.[10]

In September 2018, Gurbaz was named in Paktia's squad in the first edition of the Afghanistan Premier League tournament.[11] In November 2019, he was selected to play for the Khulna Tigers in the 2019–20 Bangladesh Premier League.[12] In July 2020, he was named in the Barbados Tridents squad for the 2020 Caribbean Premier League.[13][14]

In April 2021, Gurbaz was signed by Multan Sultans to play in the rescheduled matches in the 2021 Pakistan Super League.[15] In November 2021, he was selected to play for the Jaffna Kings following the players' draft for the 2021 Lanka Premier League.[16] In December 2021, he was signed by Islamabad United following the players' draft for the 2022 Pakistan Super League.[17]

In March 2022, Gurbaz was named as Jason Roy's replacement in the Gujarat Titans squad for the 2022 Indian Premier League.[18] In July 2022, he was signed by the Jaffna Kings for the third edition of the Lanka Premier League.[19] He was traded to Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the IPL 2023 and represented the now three time, then two time IPL Champions. He made his debut against Punjab Kings. He played a crucial role and helped Kolkata Knight Riders win their third IPL championship.

International career

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In December 2017, Gurbaz was named in Afghanistan's squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.[20]

In October 2019, Gurbaz was the leading run-scorer for Afghanistan in the 2018 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, with 117 runs in four matches.[21] In December 2018, he was named in Afghanistan's under-23 team for the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup.[22]

In August 2019, Gurbaz was named in Afghanistan's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for the 2019–20 Bangladesh Tri-Nation Series.[23][24] He made his T20I debut for Afghanistan, against Zimbabwe, on 14 September 2019.[25]

In January 2021, Gurbaz was named in Afghanistan's One Day International (ODI) squad for their series against Ireland.[26] He made his ODI debut for Afghanistan, against Ireland, on 21 January 2021, scoring 127 runs, becoming the first Afghan player to score a century on ODI debut and 16th overall.[27]

In September 2021, he was named in Afghanistan's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.[28] In September 2023, he was named in Afghanistan's squad for the 2023 Cricket World Cup.[29] In May 2024, he was named in Afghanistan’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament.[30]

References

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  1. ^ Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s profile on Sportskeeda
  2. ^ "20 cricketers for the 2020s". The Cricketer Monthly. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Celebrating up and coming cricketers this International Youth Day". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Rahmanullah Gurbaz". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Gurbaz century stars on Afghanistan debut in Super League win over Ireland". www.icc-cricket.com. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Rahmanullah Gurbaz's debut hundred helps Afghanistan hold off Ireland". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Bose, Shuvaditya (16 October 2023). "ICC World Cup 2023: Forged in Fire – Tales From Rahmanullah Gurbaz's Childhood". TheQuint.
  8. ^ "Afghanistan A tour of Zimbabwe, 1st unofficial ODI: Zimbabwe A v Afghanistan A at Harare, Jan 27, 2017". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  9. ^ "3rd Match, Shpageeza Cricket League at Kabul, Sep 12 2017". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  10. ^ "3rd Match, Alokozay Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament at Khost, Mar 1-4 2018". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  11. ^ "Afghanistan Premier League 2018 – All you need to know from the player draft". CricTracker. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  12. ^ "BPL draft: Tamim Iqbal to team up with coach Mohammad Salahuddin for Dhaka". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  13. ^ "Nabi, Lamichhane, Dunk earn big in CPL 2020 draft". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  14. ^ "Teams Selected for Hero CPL 2020". Cricket West Indies. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Lahore Qalandars bag Shakib Al Hasan, Quetta Gladiators sign Andre Russell". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews miss out on LPL drafts". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  17. ^ "Franchises finalise squad for HBL PSL 2022". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  18. ^ "Gujarat Titans sign Rahmanullah Gurbaz as Jason Roy's replacement". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  19. ^ "LPL 2022 draft: Kandy Falcons sign Hasaranga; Rajapaksa to turn out for Dambulla Giants". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  20. ^ "Mujeeb Zadran in Afghanistan squad for Under-19 World Cup". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  21. ^ "Asian Cricket Council Under-19s Asia Cup, 2018/19 - Afghanistan Under-19s: Batting and bowling averages". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  22. ^ "Afghanistan Under-23s Squad". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  23. ^ "Afghanistan squads announced for Bangladesh Test and Triangular Series in September". Afghan Cricket Board. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  24. ^ "Rashid Khan to lead new-look Afghanistan in Bangladesh Test". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  25. ^ "2nd Match (N), Bangladesh Twenty20 Tri-Series at Dhaka, Sep 14 2019". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  26. ^ "Afghanistan announce 16-member squad for ODI series against Ireland". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  27. ^ "1st ODI, Abu Dhabi, Jan 21 2021, Ireland tour of United Arab Emirates". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  28. ^ "Rashid Khan steps down as Afghanistan captain over team selection". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  29. ^ "Pacer returns after two years as Afghanistan name World Cup squad". www.icc-cricket.com. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  30. ^ "Afghanistan's squad for the ICC Men's T20I World Cup". ScoreWaves. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
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