By Zainab Shafiq 
The ICC T20 World Cup 2024 is just around the corner and all 20 teams, including Rashid Khan-led Afghanistan, are preparing to shine in the tournament. This World Cup will be the biggest of its kind and cricket fans will witness star performances from a set of youngsters, debutants, and experienced players.
Afghanistan will be one of the powerhouses competing against the other teams. The team revealed the 15-player squad along with three reserved players. Their squad includes a mix of young and experienced players set to ablaze the stage.
In this blog, we will take a look at the top 5 Afghanistan players to watch in the tournament based on their statistics in the shortest format.
Afghanistan players to watch in World Cup 2024
Let’s begin:
1) Gulbadin Naib
The 22-year-old batting all-rounder has extensive T20 experience. Having featured in 54 T20Is and including a decent experience across various T20 leagues, Naib is already making waves at a young age. He boasts a batting average of 21.23 scoring 807 runs in T20Is.
As far as his bowling performances in T20Is are concerned, Naib has 26 wickets from 40 matches. His tally totals to 72 T20 wickets. Certainly, the all-rounder will be one of the Afghanistan players to watch, adding crucial runs, and even picking wickets when needed as per the game’s plan.
2) Rashid Khan
Afghanistan’s premier spinner will not only be showing his leadership abilities, but his individual performances will also be a reflection of his skill. The 25-year-old bowler has featured in 85 T20Is up-to-date and has 138 wickets under his belt.
Also featuring in various prominent T20 leagues across the world, Rashid owns 436 wickets to his name. His experience will boost Afghanistan’s chances in the upcoming World Cup set to take place in the realms of the USA and the West Indies.
3) Mohammad Nabi
Mohammad Nabi, one of the most experienced Afghan players, is preparing to make waves on the international stage as the World Cup awaits. The 39-year-old all-rounder has already proved his worth on various occasions.
In the batting depart, he has 2109 T20I runs from 113 innings at a strike rate of 138.75, whereas, in the bowling depart, he has a share of 93 wickets from as many innings. Nabi has also bagged four-wicket hauls on three occasions, which makes him one of the strongest Afghanistan players to watch for this World Cup.
4) Ibrahim Zadran
The 22-year-old opening batter is poised to make a substantial impact for Afghanistan as they are set to lock horns with Uganda on June 4th. His innings at the top will lay the foundation of the team’s inning.
Ibrahim has 874 runs from 36 T20I innings and a high score of 72 in the format. He has little experience in T20 leagues but can come as a surprise to the opponent bowlers in the upcoming multinational event.
5) Rahmanullah Gurbaz
The wicket-keeping batter will not only be useful for adding crucial runs but will also be beneficial for Afghanistan behind the wickets. The young lad has already 55 T20I appearances and 1376 runs with a century.
His wicketkeeping record includes four stumping and 29 catches which makes him an ideal candidate for the side to maintain a decent record in the tournament.
Also, see:
T20 World Cup 2024: Top 5 England Players to Watch