11 Facts about Bangladesh's teenage allrounder Afif Hossain

Afif Hossain Dhrubo, the 17-year old shocked everyone on his debut in Bangladesh Premier League (IPL) with a 5-wicket haul which included the wicket of West Indies star Chris Gayle. The off-spinner, in general, is considered to be more of a top order batsman than a bowler, put everyone to surprise by his performance with the ball. Here are some facts about the youngster.

1. Birth:

Afif Hossain Dhrubo was born on 22nd September 1999 in Khulna, Bangladesh.

2. A big hitting All-rounder:

He is widely known in Bangladesh cricket as a destructive top order batsman who can be a handy off-spinner with the ball as well.

3. Representing a popular school:

He is a student of the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP), which has a rich history of producing international stars including Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim.

4. Played against Indian states:

Afif featured in Bangladesh teams in 2013 at home who played against the Indian teams; Bengal U15, Kerala Academy U17 and Madhya Pradesh U16.

5. India tour:

He toured India along with Bangladesh U17 team in 2014 and played 4 games against Madhya Pradesh U17 at Holkar Stadium, Indore. He managed to score 93 runs at an average of 23.25 and strike rate of 80. He picked 5 wickets with the ball as well.

6. All-round performances against Bengal:

Afif had a great series with both bat and ball against Bengal U19s in 2014. With the bat, he scored 380 in 7 innings at an average of 63.66 with the highest of 90 out of the 4 fifties. He averaged 15.2 with the ball and took 6 wickets. He won the man of the match award in the 2nd of the 4-match series for scoring 98, 68* and taking 2 wickets.

7. Good performances in U16 tournament:

He made a mark with his performances in Young Tigers Under-16 National Cricket competition in 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons for his team BKSP. He aggregated 499 runs in 9 games in the two editions at an average of 33.27 and picked up 14 wickets at an average of 14.07.

8. First Division League:

He featured in BKSP side in the one-day tournament, Dhaka First Division League. He scored 148 runs in 6 innings and picked only 2 wickets.

9. Banned from bowling:

Afif Hossain was banned from bowling earlier this year after his bowling action was found illegal. He later cleared his action in September under the BCB guidelines.

10. U19 Asia Cup:

He was picked in Bangladesh U19 squad for Under 19 Asia Cup in Sri Lanka this month. He is in fact the vice-captain of the team.

11. BPL debut:

On his BPL debut, he became the youngest to pick a 5-wicket haul in T20 cricket. He was making his T20 debut as well and become the first Bangladeshi to bag a 5-fer on debut in T20 cricket. He in fact was the first Bangladeshi to bag a 5-wicket haul in the BPL.