Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar is a 15-year-old spinner from Afghanistan.
The right-arm off-spinner became the youngest player to register himself for the upcoming IPL auctions scheduled on December 23 in Kochi.
The 6ft-2-inches tall tweaker, who hails from Paktia province, had registered himself for the Big Bash League auctions, but couldn’t find any takers.
Indian inspiration
His bowling action is said to be similar to his compatriot Mujeeb Zadran but the Afghani said that he is inspired by India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
“Ashwin has been a champion spinner for India, and I like his variations. I have always considered him my inspiration,” Ghazanfar told Sportstar from Kabul.
Humble beginnings
“I started with tennis ball cricket and would play in my neighborhood, but under the guidance of my coach, I started bowling spin, and soon, I developed an action, and there hasn’t been any looking back since,” the youngster added.
The spinner admitted that he is not well versed with Hindi, but said he won’t have a problem while communicating across different cultures.
“I have played a fair bit of junior cricket, and my ultimate target is to play for Afghanistan. The IPL will help me improve my game as I would be able to learn quite a few things from the Indian and overseas players, and I am really looking forward to the experience. I hope to get picked by a franchise,” he said.
Pacy start
Ghazanfar started as a pacer but gradually took to spin under the watchful eyes of former Afghanistan captain Dawlat Ahmadzai.
“I started with tennis ball cricket and would play in my neighborhood, but under the guidance of my coach, I started bowling spin, and soon, I developed an action, and there hasn’t been any looking back since,” the youngster added.
After shining at the local U-16 tournaments, he got an opportunity to train with the Afghanistan U-19 players and made his debut in the Shpageeza League for Mis Ainak Knights.
He claimed five wickets in three matches and bagged 4-15 in his second match against Hindkush Stars.
“I love challenging the batters with my spin, and the experience of playing in the Shpageeza League has been immensely valuable,” Ghazanfar, who was later part of the Junior Pakistan Super League, said.
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