Afghanistan spinner Zia-ur-Rehman starred in the Ahmed Shah Abdali Tournament on Tuesday (May 20), extending a national record with his second five-wicket haul in one game.
In the third round of fixtures for the 2025 season, the two bottom sides, Hindukush Strikers and Maiwand Champions, faced off at the Ghazi Amanullah Khan International Cricket Stadium. Hindukush skipper Mohammad Asif elected to bat first after winning the toss.
Match 5, Hindukush Strikers vs Maiwand Champions
vs
- Ball by ball Over
His side were shot out for 197 on day one, as Bilal Ahmad top-scored with 41. The star of the show with the ball for Maiwand was left-arm spinner and captain Zia-ur-Rehman Akbar, who bowled a miserly and devastating spell of 5-30 from 19.3 overs – dismissing two of the top three and all of the bottom three including namesake Ziaur Rahman.
Maiwand then managed to take a 30-run first-innings lead, Ijaz Ahmed (67) and Shawkat Zaman (76) rescuing the innings from 17-3. Interestingly, here, Zia-ur-Rehman was dismissed by Ziaur Rahman – who ended up with 5-33.
Zia-ur-Rehman takes third first-class career ten-wicket haul
Hindukush fared much better in their second innings as teenage debutant Hassan Eisakhil scored a century opening the innings, and they declared at 444-6, after Ikram Alikhil (102*) crossed the three-figure mark and Bilal Ahmad was dismissed for 94.
Five of those six wickets once again went to Zia-ur-Rehman, this time taking 5-66. This was his third ten-wicket haul in a first-class match, his previous ones coming in 2017 and 2018 (12-73 and 10-161 respectively).
These were also his 16th and 17th five-wicket hauls in a first-class innings, which extended his national record for the most such instances in first-class cricket in Afghanistan. Zia-ur-Rehman now also has three 10-wicket hauls from 34 first-class matches in Afghanistan, the joint-most in the country along with Zohaib Ahmadzai, who has three 10-fors from 25 games.
Zia-ur-Rehman has played four Tests for Afghanistan, picking up 11 wickets including 5-64 against Ireland in February 2024.
It must be noted that regular first-class cricket has been organised in Afghanistan only since 2017, meaning several players from the country may have played first-class cricket outside their country before then.
Most five-fors in first-class cricket in Afghanistan
| Player | Career | Matches | 5WI |
| Zia-ur-Rehman | 2017-2025 | 34* | 17 |
| Amir Hamza | 2018-2024 | 25 | 11 |
| Zohaib Ahmadzai | 2017-2023 | 25 | 8 |
| Zahir Shehzad | 2017-2025 | 29 | 7 |
| Waqar Salamkheil | 2017-2019 | 11 | 6 |
| Zahir Khan | 2018-2025 | 19* | 6 |
| Mohammad Ibrahim | 2017-2025 | 23 | 6 |
| Jamshid Khan | 2017-2023 | 26 | 6 |
| Yamin Ahmadzai | 2017-2025 | 34 | 6 |
| Fareed Ahmad | 2017-2025 | 27 | 5 |
| Nijat Masood | 2017-2025 | 31 | 5 |
| Abdul Baqi | 2017-2025 | 38* | 5 |
Most 10-fors in first-class cricket in Afghanistan
| Player | Span | Matches | 10WM |
| Zohaib Ahmadzai | 2017-2023 | 25 | 3 |
| Zia-ur-Rehman | 2017-2025 | 34* | 3 |
| Qais Ahmad | 2018-2025 | 12 | 2 |
| Amir Hamza | 2018-2024 | 25 | 2 |
Image credit: Facebook / ACB Domestic Cricket Development
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