Bahir Shah

A run machine in the domestic circuit, Bahir Shah has been nothing short of a phenomenon ever since his first-class debut in 2017.

A right-handed top-order batsman, Shah rose to prominence in his very first-class match. Playing for Speen Ghar Region, Shah slammed an unbeaten 256 in the first innings. It was the second-highest score on debut.

In his third first-class match, Shah created another record and scored centuries in both innings, making 111 and 116 respectively. Shah scored 1,000 first-class runs in just his eleventh innings, the second-fastest behind Bill Ponsford. 

In January 2018, his batting average in first-class cricket was a staggering 121.77. This was the highest for any batsman who had scored in excess of 1,000 runs in domestic cricket, with only Sir Donald Bradman behind him with an astonishing average of 95.14.

In the 2019 Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament, Shah registered 400 runs in 5 matches, which also included a stunning 156 against Boost Region. 

The following year, Shah was the highest run-scorer in the 2020 Afghanistan Provincial Challenge Cup, finishing the tournament with 244 runs. 

After piling runs in the domestic circuit, Shah was finally rewarded with a place in the Afghanistan squad for the Test series against Zimbabwe in March 2021. However, the talented batter did not feature in any of the two-Test matches in the series.

Touted by many as the future of Afghan cricket, Shah has been ruling the domestic circuit ever since his debut in 2017. He has amassed runs at a staggering rate and if he continues to perform like this, the selectors will have no choice left but to select the youngster in the shorter formats of the game. 

(As of Mar 2021)