Fareed Ahmad

A left-arm seamer from Nangarahar, Fareed Ahmed first gained attention when as a teenager he took a seven-wicket haul against Pakistan U-19 in 2014. By the end of the year, he made his ODI debut and, in 2016, earned his maiden T20I cap. However, over the next decade, he failed to cement his position in the team, being in and out of the national team with stop-gap opportunities.

Some highlights of Fareed's long but sparse international career are his six wickets in the 2017 Desert T20 Cup tournament that earned Afghanistan the title, his three-wicket haul against Pakistan in a fiery Super Four encounter during the 2022 Asia Cup, and his three-wicket haul in the semi-final of the 2023 Asian Games that confirmed Afghanistan a medal in the competition.

He also took 3 for 20 in a T20I against India in Bengaluru in 2024 where he went for only five runs per over as India posted 212 in a game that needed two Super Overs to decide the winner. Later that year, he was part of the Afghanistan squad that reached the semi-final of the 2024 T20 World Cup. Next January, he made his Test debut against Zimbabwe but took only two wickets in Afghanistan's win.

Fareed was also part of the title-winning Sunrisers Eastern Cape squad in the SA20 in 2023-24 as a replacement player but didn't play a game. He has also represented MI Emirates in the ILT20 competition.