Afif Hossain

Afif Hossain Dhrubo
Personal information
Full name
Afif Hossain Dhrubo
Born (1999-09-22) 22 September 1999 (age 24)
Khulna, Bangladesh
NicknameDhrubo[1]
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
BattingLeft-handed
BowlingRight-arm off break
RoleAll-rounder
International information
National side
ODI debut (cap 132)6 March 2020 v Zimbabwe
Last ODI6 September 2023 v Pakistan
ODI shirt no.18
T20I debut (cap 58)15 February 2018 v Sri Lanka
Last T20I3 May 2023 2023 v England
T20I shirt no.88 (previously 18)
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2017Khulna Division
2016Rajshahi Kings
2017Khulna Titans
2019Sylhet Sixers
2019–2020Rajshahi Royals
2022Jaffna Kings
2023Chattogram Challengers
Career statistics
Competition ODI T20I
Matches 22 60
Runs scored 495 1,003
Batting average 35.35 21.34
100s/50s 0/3 0/3
Top score 93* 77*
Balls bowled 82 150
Wickets 3 9
Bowling average 22.66 23.22
5 wickets in innings 0 0
10 wickets in match 0 0
Best bowling 1/0 2/9
Catches/stumpings 9/– 16/–
Medal record
Men's cricket
Representing  Bangladesh
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Hangzhou Team
South Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2019 Kathmandu/Pokhara Team
Source: ESPN Cricinfo, 11 March 2023

Afif Hossain Dhrubo (Bengali: আফিফ হোসেন ধ্রুব; born 22 September 1999) is a Bangladeshi cricketer.[2] In February 2018, he was named in Bangladesh's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their series against Sri Lanka.[3] He made his T20I debut for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka on 15 February 2018.[4]

Early life[edit]

Afif was a student of the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan, Bangladesh's biggest sports institute, that has also produced the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nasir Hossain, etc. He was known as a big-hitter at the U-19 level, and coaches found him similar to Tamim Iqbal.[5]

Domestic career[edit]

At 17 years and 72 days, Afif became the youngest bowler to take a T20 five-wicket haul on his debut on 3 December 2016 for Rajshahi Kings in the BPL 2016.[6][7] Playing in the closing stages of the league phase, he ran through Chittagong Vikings with his 5 for 21, including the wicket of Chris Gayle.[8][9]

Afif made his first-class debut for East Zone in the 2016–17 Bangladesh Cricket League on 11 February 2017. Opening the batting, he scored 105 in the first innings and was named player of the match.[10]

On 5 June 2017, in the 2016–17 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, Afif took a hat-trick playing for Abahani Limited.[11]

In October 2018, Afif was named in the squad for the Sylhet Sixers team, following the draft for the 2018–19 Bangladesh Premier League.[12] In August 2019, he was one of 35 cricketers named in a training camp ahead of Bangladesh's 2019–20 season.[13] In November 2019, he was selected to play for the Rajshahi Royals in the 2019–20 Bangladesh Premier League.[14]

Under-19 career[edit]

Afif was the vice-captain of the Bangladesh U-19 side for the 2016 Asia Cup.[15] In December 2017, he was named in Bangladesh's squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.[16] He was the leading run-scorer for Bangladesh in the tournament, with 276 runs.[17] Following Bangladesh's matches in the tournament, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named Afif as the rising star of the squad.[18]

In December 2018, Afif was named in Bangladesh's team for the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup.[19]

International career[edit]

Afif made his international debut in 2018 against Sri Lanka in the first T20I but his second-ball duck with the bat and 1/26 in 2 overs with ball witnessed him to be dropped from next match.[3] He was included in the squad for 2019–20 Bangladesh Tri-Nation Series, and in the first match against Zimbabwe, while Bangladesh was on the verge of defeat losing 6 wicket for 60 runs and still needing 85 runs to win, he came to bat at no. 8 and scored a blistering knock of 52 off 26 balls and made a crucial 82-run stand with Mosaddek Hossain to overcome the target. Subsequently, he was selected for Man of Match award for his knock.[20]

In November 2019, Afif was named in Bangladesh's squad for the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Bangladesh.[21] Later the same month, he was named in Bangladesh's squad for the cricket tournament at the 2019 South Asian Games.[22] The Bangladesh team won the gold medal, after they beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the final.[23]

In February 2020, Afif was named in Bangladesh's One Day International (ODI) squad for their series against Zimbabwe.[24] He made his ODI debut for Bangladesh, against Zimbabwe, on 6 March 2020.[25] In September 2021, he was named in Bangladesh's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.[26]

In February 2022, he scored 93* and helped Bangladesh to get a famous win against Afghanistan in Chattogram, which is the highest individual score for any Bangladeshi batter in ODI cricket while batting at number 7 and lower.[27]

In August 2022, Afif scored 85 runs in 81 balls in the last ODI against Zimbabwe to prevent a whitewash. Bangladesh were able to get to a score of 256/9, and Bangladesh won. He won the "Man of the Match" Award for his efforts.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Afif Hossain: The boy wonder from Bangladesh". The Business Standard. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Afif Hossain". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Bangladesh pick five uncapped players for Sri Lanka T20I". ESPN Cricinfo. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  4. ^ "1st T20I (N), Sri Lanka Tour of Bangladesh at Dhaka, Feb 15 2018". ESPN Cricinfo. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  5. ^ "Who is Afif Hossain?". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Bangladesh Premier League, 40th Match: Chittagong Vikings v Rajshahi Kings at Dhaka, Dec 3, 2016". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  7. ^ "Preview: Bangladesh U19 v Namibia U19". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Debutant Afif's 5 for 21 stuns Chittagong". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  9. ^ "Stats: Youngest players to take a 5-wicket haul in T20 cricket". Crictracker. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  10. ^ "Bangladesh Cricket League, East Zone (Bangladesh) v North Zone (Bangladesh) at Fatullah, Feb 11-14, 2017". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  11. ^ "Afif's hat-trick sets up mouthwatering finish to DPL". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  12. ^ "Full players list of the teams following Players Draft of BPL T20 2018-19". Bangladesh Cricket Board. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  13. ^ "Mohammad Naim, Yeasin Arafat, Saif Hassan - A look into Bangladesh's future". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  14. ^ "BPL draft: Tamim Iqbal to team up with coach Mohammad Salahuddin for Dhaka". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  15. ^ "Bangladesh squad named for U-19 Asia Cup". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  16. ^ "Saif Hassan likely to lead Bangladesh U-19 at World Cup". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  17. ^ "ICC Under-19 World Cup, 2017/18 - Bangladesh Under-19s: Batting and bowling averages". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  18. ^ "U19CWC Report Card: Bangladesh". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  19. ^ "Media Release : ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2018: Bangladesh emerging squad announced". Bangladesh Cricket Board. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Young Afif Hossain gate crashes Zimbabwe's party". ESPN Cricinfo. 13 September 2019.
  21. ^ "Media Release : Bangladesh squad for Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2019 announced". Bangladesh Cricket Board. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  22. ^ "Media Release : Bangladesh U23 Squad for 13th South Asian Game Announced". Bangladesh Cricket Board. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  23. ^ "South Asian Games: Bangladesh secure gold in men's cricket". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  24. ^ "Afif Hossain and Mohammad Naim break into Bangladesh ODI squad". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  25. ^ "3rd ODI (D/N), Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh at Sylhet, Mar 6 2020". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  26. ^ "No surprises as Bangladesh name Mahmudullah-led squad for T20 World Cup". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  27. ^ Bandarupalli, Sampath (23 January 2022). "Stats - Afif and Mehidy's 79.45% contribution to Bangladesh's cause". ESPN Cricinfo.