Afghanistan A leg-spinner Arab Gul picked up 10 wickets during his team’s victory against Ireland A in Abu Dhabi.
Afghanistan A were led by a massive 187 from Bahir Shah, who has made a strong start to his first-class career. They posted 612-7 on the board in the only unofficial Test and strengthened their position after bowling out the opposition for 309. Barring Cade Carmichael and Thomas Mayes, who made 124 and 79, respectively, no other Ireland A batter could cross 30 in the innings.
The bowling charge was led by Gul, who scalped 4-71 in 21 overs, including six maidens. He improved his numbers in the next innings, picking up 6-25 in only 16 overs as Ireland A, after following on, were shot out for 109. Afghanistan A won the game by an innings and 194 runs, with Gul picking up his second ten-wicket haul in his first-class career.
One-off unofficial Test, Afghanistan A vs Ireland A
vs
- Ball by ball Over
Who is Arab Gul?
The 19-year-old made his domestic debut in 2023 and has played 11 first-class games, along with five List A matches and 10 T20s. It is in the longest format that he has made the most impact, grabbing 53 wickets at an average of 16.49 with four four-fors, three five-wicket hauls, and two ten-wicket match hauls.
He made a brilliant start to his first-class career, picking up 24 wickets with best figures of 6-58 in his first five games at an average of 16.83.
Gul has also played for the Afghanistan Under-19 team, representing them in the World Cup last year. He picked four wickets, with his best performance coming against New Zealand, where he finished with 2-12 in eight overs, with an economy rate of 1.50.
After his performance, Afghanistan batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz showered praise on the youngster, terming him a “big star” for the future.
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