A bustling, energetic seam bowler, Aftab Alam isn't blessed with great height but puts a good deal of effort into his front-on action. Aftab is one of the success stories of cricket development in Afghanistan, having made his way through age group teams from under-15 level all the way to the under-19 squad for the 2010 Youth World Cup in New Zealand. He was his team's leading wicket-taker at the tournament, with 12 scalps, and made his ODI debut against Canada shortly after the tournament.

He continued with the Under-19 team for a further two years, with occasionally astonishing results such as his spell of 8 for 12 against Oman in the 2011 ACC U19 Elite Cup. He went to his second Youth World Cup in 2012, and also began to play more often for the senior national side. He was with the national side at the World T20 in 2014, and was also part of the team that held Zimbabwe to a 2-2 draw in their ODI series that same year.
Liam Brickhill