Mohammad Nabi

Afghanistan's first global cricket star, Mohammad Nabi has been the all-action talisman of his country's rise, a big-hitting off-spinner who can win a game in a single over. He played in Afghanistan's first official ODI, against Scotland in 2009, and has been present at every major step since, from Associate obscurity to World Cup upsets.

A wily off-spinner with sharp control and a fierce batting bent, Nabi captained Afghanistan for several years, leading them at their first World Cup in 2015, and later served under the captains he helped develop. He became a standard-bearer for Afghan players abroad, featuring in franchise leagues around the world, most prominently at Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, and turning out in the Big Bash, the PSL, the CPL and Major League Cricket. Well into his forties he was still playing international cricket, appearing at the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, and mentoring the young spinners who followed the path he cut. Off the field he has promoted the game in Afghanistan's rural heartlands, and his durability, calm and power hitting have made him one of the most respected figures in Associate-turned-Full-Member cricket.