The Rise of Mohammad Nabi
Afghanistan's ex-skipper and current all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has been the backbone of the Afghanistan team for years. He became a part of their country’s national team during not-so-encouraging conditions. With the battle-stricken nation that Afghanistan was, Nabi strived hard to make his career in a sport which was initially considered alien to their citizens.
Cricket in Afghanistan has improved drastically in the last few years. With known names like Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shehzad, Mujeeb and others, Afghanistan have a mix of stalwarts and upcoming stars in the camp. But, the one name which stands out always is that of Mohammed Nabi.
Nabi led the Afghanistan team to the National level even before Asghar Stanikzai came into the picture. Nabi has delivered some terrific performances, both with the ball and bat for his team. Nabi’s skills were noticed by the makers of the Indian Premier League and he found himself in the Sunrisers Hyderabad camp. He is also known to have nurtured the skills of youngsters like Rashid and Mujeeb.
Nabi’s tryst with cricket has been exciting. He entered the team as a bowler and honed his skills in the batting department. Afghanistan’s squad has seen few changes with many newbies entering the scene. Mohammad Nabi though has been with the team since the start of the decade and is still going strong with clinical performances.
Nabi is truly a rising sun for this team and his contributions have always been a matter of pride and grit. With Afghanistan turning into a Test nation, the expectations are high for the team. With a good mix of experience and new energy, Afghanistan seems to be going the right way.
Though Nabi played very few IPL matches for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, he definitely did manage to make his presence felt in almost all of them. He was picked as a bowling all-rounder who would bat lower down the order and provide some spin assistance to the team with the likes of Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan.
Mohammad Nabi was part of the landmark first Test match that Afghanistan played against India at Bengaluru. Though the team could not perform in accordance to their standards, Nabi did win brownie points. He became Afghanistan's top run scorer during the 2019 World Cup qualifications held in Zimbabwe.
He was instrumental in leading Afghanistan to their first ever World Cup campaign. Though the team lost all their World Cup matches, their efforts were applauded.
Nabi’s recent bowling figures in the Asia Cup coupled with the much need half-century against India gave the dark horses a respectable total, which eventually led their team to tie a match against the mighty Indians. Afghanistan at one stage looked like they could be bundled out for a mere 180-190 runs on the board. Nabi’s efforts in the middle order with a fast-paced fifty gave the score a much-needed boost.
Nabi’s role may seem inconspicuous to the public eye, but he has been the torchbearer for his team. Nabi’s rise in the last couple of years has not only given his team a boost but has also given the cricket loving nations a wonderful cricketer to witness.
Nabi has been instrumental in developing his team and his work needs to be applauded by cricket lovers. The Rise of Nabi needs to be understood, for he has been and will remain the mainstay of Afghanistan cricket in the years to come.