[Watch] The Next Sunil Narine! Who Is KKR's Latest Afghan Recruit?

AFG U19 star earn IPL call up for KKR in 2024 (X.com)

Afghanistan fielded a promising 16-year-old mystery-spinner named Allah Ghazanfar During the recently concluded U-19 World Cup and the spinner drew similarities with legendary West Indies spinner Sunil Narine with his wide variations arsenal.

Allah Ghazanfar proved to be Afghanistan’s find of the season in the recently concluded U19 World Cup. He stunned the world with three wickets against the mighty side of New Zealand and leaked only 29 runs in the process.

Moreover, in a pre-tournament interview, the off-spinner introduced himself as someone who aspired to be a fast-bowling all-rounder. He joined an academy back in Afghanistan and bowled fast with the tape ball for over a month before the coach encouraged him to take up spin bowling.

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And when Ghazanfar thrived in spin bowling, the coach advised him to transform into a full-time off-spinner.

Moreover, taking a leaf off legendary West Indies pacer Sunil Narine’s playbook, Allah Ghazanfar introduced new variations in his spin bowling arsenal. He claimed to have mastered the art of carrom ball, off-spin, backspin, and googly.

The teenager revealed how his coach saw a future star in him and that, with sheer hard work and perseverance, he managed to break into the Afghanistan U19 team. 

While Allah Ghazanfar’s action and variations drew a strong resemblance with Sunil Narine, the spinner idolizes Indian spin wizard Ravichandran Ashwin for his never-ending variations and sharp execution.

That being said, the U19 World Cup heroics are only a stepping stone for Allah Ghazanfar. As a 16-year-old, he has a lot to learn and also has to wait for his due. But the future of spin bowling for Afghanistan looks promising and bright per se.

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