Noor Ahmad

Born on January 03, 2005, Noor Ahmad Lakanwal is a spinner who hails from the city of Khost in Afghanistan. He represents the Afghanistan cricket team in international cricket and plays for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The teenager bowls left-arm wrist spin and is a right-handed batter.

Ahmad is a prodigious talent who is gifted with dexterity and variety on offer with his left-arm leg spin. The chinaman has the symmetrical action of ace leggie and his Afghan teammate Rashid Khan and has been a revelation with his variations in the shortest format of the game.

Noor Ahmad: Along the Years

Noor Ahmad Records

• Third-best figures in an innings on T20I debut amongst full-member nations

• Seventh teenager to take 3+ wickets in Cricket World Cups

Noor Ahmad Career

Noor Ahmad has bossed cricket at such a young age and how. The teenage sensation has already signed multiple contracts with different franchises and has spun a web with his left-arm wrist spin, especially in T20 cricket.

Noor Ahmad Domestic Career

At the age of 14, Noor Ahmad made his domestic debut for Kabul against Boost Region in the Ahmad Shah Abdali Four-day Tournament 2019 in Kabul on April 29, 2019. On his first-class debut, he was dismissed for a duck in the first innings and picked up a couple of wickets in each innings.

In the Shpageeza Cricket League 2019-20, Noor Ahmad made his T20 debut for Mis Ainak Knights (MAK) against Boost Defenders in Kabul on October 8, 2019. He picked up a solitary wicket of Khaibar Omar as MAK won a thriller by a margin of 3 runs.

On October 14, 2020, Mis Ainak Region handed over Noor Ahmad his maiden cap against Amo Region in the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament 2020-21. On his List-A debut, he bowled a maiden and took a wicket. In the Big Bash League 2020-21, Noor Ahmad represented the Melbourne Renegades. In the six matches he played, he could only pick up a couple of wickets.

In the Pakistan Super League (PSL), he played four matches each for Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

In the Lanka Premier League (LPL), Ahmad featured for the Galle Gladiators in the 2021-22 season and took 8 wickets in 8 games. He played for the Dambulla Aura in the next two seasons and 15 wickets in as many games. The chinaman registered his career-best figures in T20s when he picked up his maiden T20 five-wicket haul for Durban Super Giants against Paarl Royals in SA20 2024. He ended the season with 12 wickets in 6 games at an impressive economy of 5.82 and a best of 5/11 against the Royals.

Ahmad made his Caribbean Premier League (CPL) debut for St. Lucia Kings against St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the ongoing CPL 2024. In the very next game, he picked up a three-wicket haul and was adjudged the ‘Player Of The Match’ for his match-winning performance, after going wicketless on his CPL debut.

Noor Ahmad IPL Career

Right after his Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2022 performance, the Gujarat Titans entered a bidding heist as he was grabbed for a mere INR 30 lakhs at the IPL 2022 mega auction, the youngest to feature in that auction. After benching the victorious maiden campaign for GT in IPL 2022, he got an opportunity to showcase his potential in the cash-rich league against the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023. On his IPL debut, he was inducted into the playing XI as an impact player in the second innings. However, Ahmad was expensive with the ball but was able to snatch his maiden IPL wicket in the form of Royals’ skipper Sanju Samson.

In only his third IPL game, the Afghan chinaman registered his personal best figures of 4-0-37-3 against the Mumbai Indians. He finished the tournament with 16 wickets in 13 games at a decent economy of 7.82. In IPL 2024, Ahmad picked up 8 wickets in 10 games at an economy of 8.32. With Afghan teammates flooded in the Titans’ camp, the 19-year-old would be eyeing to replicate IPL giant Rashid Khan’s heroics in the league in the coming years.

Noor Ahmad International Career

Noor Ahmad is one of the most distinctive finds that Afghanistan has time and again produced recently. With left-arm wrist spin a rarity in international cricket, the chinaman has all the fuel in the tank to go one step ahead and establish himself as a spin wizard.

Noor Ahmad ODI Career

Under the leadership of Hashmatullah Shahidi, Noor Ahmad was handed his maiden ODI cap in the third ODI of Afghanistan’s tour of Sri Lanka 2022. He went wicketless on his ODI debut as Afghanistan lost by 4 wickets in a high-scoring last-over thriller.

The 19-year-old Afghanistani was selected for the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2023 held in India. On the back of the spin-friendly track of Chepauk and Fazalhaq Farooqi’s poor form, Ahmad made his CWC debut against Pakistan. He was instrumental in Afghanistan registering a famous victory against their neighbors as the latter won by 8 wickets. In the four matches he played, he picked up 5 wickets at an economy of 4.78.

Noor Ahmad T20I Career

Noor Ahmad made his senior international debut for Afghanistan against Zimbabwe in the third T20I of Afghanistan’s tour of Zimbabwe on June 14, 2022. He was sensational on his T20I debut by picking up a four-wicket haul and winning the ‘Player Of The Match’ in his maiden international outing. With Afghanistan posting a low total of 125/8, Zimbabwe was trapped in a spin web cast by Ahmad as the visitors restricted the hosts to 90/9.

Ahmad played in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the Caribbean and was part of the Afghanistan squad that made history by entering into their maiden T20 World Cup semifinal.

Barring a wicket against Papua New Guinea in the group stage, he went wicketless in the rest of his appearances.

Noor Ahmad Under-19 Career

At the age of 14, Noor Ahmad was selected for the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2020. He picked up 7 wickets in the 5 matches he played at an economy of 3.93 and an average of 24. He picked a three-wicket haul against the United Arab Emirates in their second league game.

Ahmad featured in the next edition of the ICC Under-19 CWC as well in 2022. He scalped 10 wickets in 6 games at a paltry economy of 3.94.

Noor Ahmad Family

According to ESPNCricinfo, Noor Ahmad has three elder brothers and three elder sisters, with him being the youngest of the lot.

Noor Ahmad House

According to ESPNCricinfo, Noor Ahmad resides in his house with his family members in his hometown of Lakhan district, Khost in Afghanistan.