Rahmat Shah

A technically solid right-hand batter, Rahmat has been a vital cog in the growth of Afghanistan's ODI and Test cricket over the years. Without being flashy and having too many fancy shots, he has laid the foundation numerous times for his teammates to thrive on.

Rahmat made his One Day International (ODI) debut for Afghanistan, in 2013, against Scotland in Sharjah. In fact, his first-class debut for Afghanistan came a week after his ODI debut, against the same opponents in Abu Dhabi. However, opportunities were sparse in his first couple of years and he didn't get a consistent run in the team. It didn't take too long for him to prove his mettle though, and he marked his comeback to the squad with a hundred against Scotland in 2016. That milestone proved to be the start of a journey where he became a permanent fixture in Afghanistan's highs and lows.

After a mixed World Cup with bat in 2019, Rahmat scored his first Test hundred a few months later in Bangladesh where he laid the foundation of a historic Test win. In the 2023 World Cup, he struck a hattrick of fifties in Afghanistan's famous wins over Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands.