Fazalhaq Farooqi

A skillful left-arm pacer from Afghanistan, Fazalhaq Farooqi realised very early in his cricketing journey that he needed to do something different from the others in order to stand out, given that he wasn't particularly tall or fast. So what he worked on was the skill aspect, and learned how to swing the ball both ways.

Making his international debut at the age of 20 in 2021, Farooqi quickly established himself in Afghanistan's white-ball teams by showing that he was a quick-learner. While his ability with the new ball was in no doubt, he also worked on his death bowling with some help from one of the very best in that department in the form of Dwayne Bravo who served as the fast bowling consultant for Afghanistan for a brief period, and also played with Farooqi in different franchise tournaments.

Farooqi was Afghanistan's leading wicket-taker in T20Is in 2022, just his second year at the top level. He made his IPL debut in the same year, playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad, while also getting an opportunity in other T20 competitions in the world.

Farooqi took a four-fer against Sri Lanka during the ODI World Cup in 2023, but didn't have too many other noteworthy performances in that tournament. However, he was on fire during the T20 World Cup in the following year. Finishing as the joint-leading wicket-taker of the tournament held in West Indies and the USA, Farooqi played a major role in Afghanistan's run to the semifinals where they eventually lost to South Africa. He was snapped up for INR 2 crores later that year by Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2025.