Ibrahim Zadran created headlines after smashing a century against England in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. England’s Jofra Archer has blown Afganistan’s batting unit after taking 3 wickets in the powerplay. On Wednesday, team Afganistan opted to bat first. Still, their decision turned turmoil after an unsettle batting performances, under high pressure situation the 23-years old took charge against the English bowling side and played like never before. He made sure that he not just revived the team from difficult circumstances but also allowed them to have a dominating position in the thrilling eight-run win game.
Ibrahim’s story feels like a fairy tale for many. After debuting in 2019, he spent most of the time sidelined from the team. He waited and worked hard for the opportunities, although he received some here and there, but was not able to deliver his best in any of the game. But he chose a bigger stage to help his team beat one of the trophy contenders of the event. During the chase, though, the modern-master Joe Root showed some grit. He scored 120 runs and made the game exciting, but unfortunately, he can’t take it forward.
Early Life of Ibrahim Zadran
Afghan cricketer Ibrahim Zadran was born on 12 December 2001. He made his Test match debut for Afghanistan in September 2019.] He is the current vice-captain of the team in T20I cricket. The top-order batter said as a kid, he played cricket in the garden with his family members. After watching Afghanistan make its ICC tournament debut at the 2010 T20 World Cup, he began seriously pursuing cricket, joining an academy.
Zadran watched plenty of international cricket to hone his skills, learning from the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakara, and current stars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
His performance was hailed by his idol Sachin Tendulkar recently, and that allowed him to enjoy his success even more.
Ibrahim Zadran domestic matches
He made his List A debut for Mis Ainak Region in the 2017 Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament on 11 August 2017. He made his Twenty20 debut for Mis Ainak Knights in the 2017 Shpageeza Cricket League on 12 September 2017.
In September 2018, he was named in Nangarhar’s squad in the first edition of the Afghanistan Cricket League tournament.
In 2021, Ibrahim played for Boyne Hill in Berkshire. He played as an opener and scored 479 runs in 15 matches.
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The Start of A Revolutionary Afghan Cricketer
Ibrahim Zadran's International Career
Ibrahim first made his debut for the Afghanistan team in the U19 team in 2018 and was the highest run-scorer for the team in the tournament. He made his World Cup debut on 7 October 2023 against Bangladesh in India in the 2023 World Cup. He scored 22 runs off 24 balls in a losing cause. He played a match-winning knock against Pakistan, scoring 87 runs off 113 balls. He was declared the payer of the match, which he dedicated to the Afghan refugees.
Zadran made the highest-ever score by an Afghan player in the ICC World Cup on 7 November 2023 against Australia at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, by scoring 129 runs not out from 147 balls. This was Afghanistan’s first century in a World Cup game. He did not look back after his return to the team and played many crucial innings for the team. He scored several match-winning knocks, but the inning against England gave him the access to break the previous record of highest run-scorer. The title was previously held by Ben Duckett in the same tournament.
His performance has brought wobbles across the playing nation. This young talent is going to be an asset for Afghanistan in their future ventures.