Hashmatullah Shahidi

A middle-order batter with the temperament to see his side through, Shahidi will be recorded in Afghanistan's cricket history as the side's first Test double-centurion. His knock, against Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi in 2021, came in his comeback series after he was dropped for scoring too slowly and for a supposed susceptibility to the short ball.

Three years later, Shahidi made another double, this time in Bulawayo. During that innings, he and Rahmat Shah became the first pair of batters in 100 years, after Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe, to bat out an entire day of a Test without being dismissed.

Shahidi made his Afghanistan limited-overs debut in 2013, but his first big success came with the Under-19 side that beat Australia and Sri Lanka in the 2014 World Cup. Shahidi made a half-century in the win over Australia.

He was among the top scorers of the 2018 Asia Cup, scoring an unbeaten 97 against Pakistan and averaging over 65 across the tournament. His first senior World Cup, in 2019 in England, was disastrous for the team since they failed to win a single of their nine matches, but Shahidi held the batting together, negotiating the seam and bounce to score two half-centuries, against England and New Zealand.

By the time the next 50-over World Cup was played, he was the team's captain, having taken over the one-day and Test duties from Asghar Afghan in 2021. Shahidi led them to four wins at the World Cup, including their first in the format against England and Pakistan. He scored over 300 runs and averaged 51.66