Who is Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, The Afghanistan Pacer Who Took A 7-Wicket Haul On Test Debut vs Zimbabwe?

Afghanistani seamer, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, has made the headlines in his debut Test match against Zimbabwe. The 27-year-old has snared a stunning seven-wicket haul that restricted the hosts to 359 in the one-off clash in Harare.

However, despite Sharifi’s heroics, Afghanistan are set to face an uphill battle following their poor first innings total of just 127. The team will commence Day 3 on 34/1, trailing by 198 runs, with Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz at the crease.

Record-breaking Seven-wicket Haul of Ziaur Rahman Sharifi

With the extraordinary figures of 32-4-97-7, Sharifi became the first Asian player and eighth overall, who bagged seven wickets in the first innings of his debut Test fixture. But the Afghan pacer narrowly missed breaching the record for the most wickets in the first innings of Test debut. The massive feat is still held by the former Australian player Bob Massie and Jason Krejza, Indian spinner Narendra Hirwani and Caribbean spinner Alf Valentine.

Notably, this spectacular show from Sharifi also saw him become the second Afghanistani bowler to scalp seven wickets in an innings of an international red-ball fixture. Previously, Afghan spin-wizard Rashid Khan had achieved the feat twice in 2021 and 2025 against the same opposition.

Ziaur Rahman Sharifi Climbs to 2nd Spot in Afghanistan’s Best Test Bowling Figures

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Ziaur Rahman Sharifi’s Astonishing First-Class Stats

The Afghan bowler has also wreaked havoc in First-Class cricket. In just 28 appearances, Sharifi has bagged a jaw-dropping 82 scalps, including three fifers and four-wicket hauls. Apart from the red-ball format, the pacer also holds a decent record in limited-over matches.

He has scalped 69 wickets in 59 white-ball fixtures, including List-A and the T20s. The bowler has already shown remarkable brilliance and could be a great asset for the Afghanistan side in the future.

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