Gulbadin Naib

An useful all-rounder, Naib batted lower down the order and was an useful change bowler - one who could chip in with a few overs of medium pace. Having begun his cricketing journey in 2008, it didn't take long for Naib to earn his first international cap - he made his debut against Canada in 2011.

Naib struggled to assert himself with both bat and ball and it didn't help that he wasn't offered a consistent run to cement his place in the national squad. Battling family health concerns, Naib kept going at the game that he loved and he earned a comeback in mid-2014 - during the tour of Zimbabwe. Things didn't go according to plan though and Naib fell out of the selectors favour - ahead of the 2105 World Cup.

Having had to reinvent himself, Naib's second avatar as a middle-order batsman bore fruit after he recalled in mid-2016. Batting in the middle-order, Naib's new found maturity was in show as he blasted an unbeaten 82 against Zimbabwe. It was followed by a streak of low scores, but with the team placing its confidence in him, Naib began to show signs of his undeniable talent. Pushed to open as Afghanistan's campaign in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers began to flounder, he returned with significant scores in the must win games against United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ireland.