Mohammad Nabi

Mohammad Nabi is a wily off-spinner from Afghanistan and is one of the best all-rounders to have played for the country. He has been part of almost all achievements for Afghanistan as he was part of the side's first-ever ODI and also the first-ever Test match. Nabi was also the captain of the side when they won their first game against a Test-playing nation. The win came against Bangladesh in the 2014 Asia Cup. Although that was Afghanistan's only victory in the tournament, Nabi's captaincy was praiseworthy.

Born in Logar province, Afghanistan, Nabi had to face struggles early in his life as they had to move to Pakistan due a war raging between Soviet Union and Afghanistan. He shifted back to Afghanistan where he continued to practice cricket. In 2006, Nabi was part of the Afghanistan squad which faced MCC in India. He had a brilliant game as he scored a majestic 116. He was included in MCC's young cricketer's programme and made his first-class debut against Sri Lanka A in 2007. He was the highest run-scorer for the team in that match.

Mohammad made his ODI debut against Scotland in 2009 and had a good game with the bat as he scored a fine fifty but with the ball, he went wicketless. Soon after, Nabi made his debut in T20Is. He did not have a great time with the bat but with the ball, Nabi was economical and picked up 1 wicket. Nabi was appointed captain of the squad in 2013 and led the side in the 2014 Asia Cup and the 2015 World Cup. After having a poor World Cup, Nabi resigned from captaincy in 2015. His form with the bat declined but in the series against Zimbabwe, Nabi scored a century and was named as the Man of the Series. Nabi played a major role in the 2016 T20 World Cup as Afghanistan entered the Super 10 stage. Mohammad was also part of the Test squad which took on India in the side's first-ever Test match. He was the leading wicket-taker for Afghanistan in the disastrous 2019 World Cup. Nabi announced his retirement from Tests after the one-off Test match against Bangladesh in 2019.

The all-rounder has played in various leagues over the years. He has plied his trade for Sylhet Royals, Rangpur Riders, Chittagong Vikings and Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League. In the Pakistan Super League, Mohammad was part of the Quetta Gladiators. In 2017, Nabi became the first player from Afghanistan to be selected for the Indian Premier League. He was picked up by Hyderabad and has played a vital role with both bat and ball for them. In a match against Bangalore in 2019, Nabi broke the back of Bangalore's top order, picking up 4 wickets. He holds the record of scoring the fastest fifty by an Afghanistan player in T20Is. Nabi was also the first Afghanistan bowler to take 100 wickets in ODIs. The experienced campaigner has been one of the legends of the game in the Afghan cricket and continues to be an integral part of the national team.

In May 2018, he was named in Afghanistan's squad for their inaugural Test match, played against India. He made his Test debut for Afghanistan, against India, on 14 June 2018. In February 2019, he was named in Afghanistan's Test squad for their one-off match against Ireland in India. In 2019, in the first T20I against Ireland, he won the man of the match for his 49 runs and 2 wickets. Again in the 3rd T20I as well, Nabi scored an 81 and bowled an economical spell to win the man of the match and series. He finished the 2019 ODI World Cup being the highest wicket taker for his team. In March 2023, he returned to the T20I squad for the series against Pakistan. On 24 March 2023, in the first T20I, he scored 38 runs from 38 balls and picked up 2 wickets for 12 runs. His all-round performance helped Afghanistan to clinch first ever win over Pakistan in any format of international cricket. In February 2022, he was bought by the Kolkata franchise in the auction for the 2022 Indian Premier League tournament. For the 2024 season, he was acquired by Mumbai and will feature as an all-rounder in the squad.