Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan: Allah Ghazanfar, MI's Afghan teenage sensation, grabs five-wicket haul

Eighteen-year-old Afghan spinner Allah Ghazanfar on Saturday picked a five-wicket haul in the third ODI against Zimbabwe at Harare.

The off-spinner did not disappoint his captain, who opted to bowl first after winning the toss. Hosts Zimbabwe were reduced to 120/9 in 28 0overs.

Ghazanfar bowled a brilliant spell of 10-0-33-5. This is his second fifer in just 11 ODI matches. Afghanistan lead the three match ODI series 1-0 after the first match was washed out.

Who is Allah Ghazanfar?
The bowler was picked by Mumbai Indian in the IPL 2025 mega auction for Rs 4.8 crore. Ghazanfar started as a fast bowler before former Afghanistan skipper Dawlat Ahmadzai turned him into a mystery spinner.

He was a star during the 2024 U-19 World Cup where he finished with eight wickets in four matches.

The performance was enough to earn him a senior team call-up as he made his ODI debut against Ireland. He continued to impress and even won the Player of the Match award in the Emerging Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka A as Afghanistan went on to clinch the title.

The youngster was also part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) side that went on to win the IPL 2024 title. He was added to the squad as a replacement for Mujeeb Ur Rahman but did not play any matches for the franchise in the campaign.

KKR were interested in buying him back but at the end of an intense bidding war, it was Mumbai Indians who emerged victorious and they ended up adding the talented spinner to their ranks.