Afghanistan’s wicket-keeper batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored a match-winning hundred in the third ODI against Bangladesh. Afghanistan won the series 2-1.
This was the Afghan opener’s eighth ODI century. He now becomes the second youngest player with eight ODI hundreds in the game’s history. He is 22 years and 349 days old. South Africa’s Quinton de Kock currently holds the record. He scored 8 centuries at the age of 22 years and 319 days.
Gurbaz surpasses India’s Sachin Tendulkar (22 years and 357 days), Virat Kohli (23 years and 27 days) and Pakistan’s Babar Azam (23 years and 280 days) to become the second youngest to have 8 ODI hundreds to his name.
He also goes past Virat Kohli’s record of 7 centuries before turning 23 years old. Sachin Tendulkar and Quinton de Kock are the other batters to achieve this before him.
He has been Afghanistan’s best batter in recent times. He was the highest run-scorer in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Gurbaz scored 194 runs in the 3-match ODI series against South Africa, leading Afghanistan towards a historic series win against the Proteas.
A stellar year for Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Gurbaz has had an excellent year with the bat, especially in the 50-over format. He has scored 531 runs in 11 innings at an average of 48.30. He also has two fifties and 3 centuries to his name in 2024.
The 22-year-old plays in almost all the T20 and franchise cricket leagues around the world. He was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024. Gurbaz is expected to be picked up in the upcoming IPL mega auction. Many franchises are looking for a wicket-keeping opener.
He is young and has lots of experience playing in different T20 leagues across the globe. Teams like Gujarat Titans, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants can bid for the Afghan opener.