Who is Ikram Alikhil? All you need to know about Afghanistan's rising star

In the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, Afghanistan's young cricketer, Ikram Alikhil, showcased his talent and played a crucial role in rescuing his team from a difficult situation against England at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. 

In the 13th match of the tournament, Afghanistan were struggling at 174-5 in the 33rd over when Ikram Alikhil came to the crease. With determination and composure, Ikram played a vital innings, scoring a gritty fifty that helped Afghanistan reach a competitive total.

Ikram Alikhil, born on September 29, 2000, is a promising Afghan cricketer who made his international debut for the national team in March 2019. He started his cricketing journey at a young age, representing Afghanistan in the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

Ikram's domestic career took off when he played his first Twenty20 match for Band-e-Amir Dragons in the 2017 Shpageeza Cricket League. One of his notable achievements during this time was scoring an unbeaten century in the final of the 2017 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, contributing significantly to Afghanistan's victory and their first ACC Under-19 Cup title.

He continued to excel in various domestic tournaments, earning a spot in Afghanistan's squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He also made his first-class debut for Speen Ghar Region in the 2018 Ahmad Shah Abdali four-day tournament and made his debut in List A cricket for the same team in the 2018 Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One-Day Tournament.

In his international career, Ikram made his ODI debut against Ireland in 2019. His outstanding performance earned him a place in Afghanistan's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, where he scored a half-century in his first match.

Ikram Alikhil's career stats are as follows:

- In Tests, he has played one match, scoring a total of seven runs at an average of 7.00.
- In ODIs, he has scored 238 runs at an average of 23.80, including two half-centuries.
- In First-Class cricket, he has played 20 matches, accumulating 886 runs at an average of 36.91.
- In List A matches, Ikram has participated in 42 games, scoring 956 runs at an average of 28.96.

Also Check: Most Runs in ODI World Cup 2023