Mohammad Nabi is an Afghan cricketer and the former captain of the Afghanistan national cricket team. He is an all-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls off-spin. He is one of the most experienced and successful players for Afghanistan and has played a vital role in their rise to the top level of international cricket.
Mohammad Nabi was born on 1 January 1985 in Logar, Afghanistan. His father, Khobi Khan, was a businessman and his mother, Zainab, was a homemaker. He has three brothers and two sisters. He belongs to the Ahmadzai tribe of Afghanistan. He was passionate about cricket since his childhood and his father introduced him to the game when he was nine years old. He studied at Habibia High School in Kabul and later moved to Peshawar, Pakistan for higher education.
Mohammad Nabi is married to his cousin, Samia Parvin, who is a psychology student at Dhaka University. They tied the knot on 22 March 2019 and have a daughter who was born in November 2020. He follows Islam and his hobbies include fishing, playing video games and watching movies. His favourite quote is "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."
Mohammad Nabi started playing cricket as a batsman and bowler and joined the Pakistan Cricket Board's pace bowling academy in 2004. He played for the Afghanistan under-15 and under-17 teams before making his first-class debut for Pakistan Customs in the 2006–07 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy on 21 November 2006. He made his List A debut for Pakistan Customs in the 2006–07 ABN-AMRO Cup on 2 March 2007. He was the leading run-scorer for Pakistan Customs in the 2006–07 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, with 612 runs in seven matches. He also took 12 wickets in the tournament. He made his Twenty20 debut for Pakistan Customs in the 2006–07 ABN-AMRO Twenty-20 Cup on 25 December 2006. In November 2009, he was selected to play for the Rajshahi Rangers in the National Cricket League of Bangladesh. He made his Twenty20 debut for Rajshahi Rangers in the National Cricket League Twenty20 on 25 November 2009.
Mohammad Nabi made his One Day International (ODI) debut for Afghanistan against Scotland on 19 April 2009. He scored 58 runs and took one wicket in that match and helped Afghanistan win by 89 runs. His Twenty20 International (T20I) debut came against Ireland on 1 February 2010 in the T20 World Cup Qualifier. He scored only two runs and took one wicket in that match and Afghanistan lost by five wickets. Mohammad Nabi has been a regular member of the Afghanistan team in both formats since then and has played some crucial innings and spells for his team. He has also represented Afghanistan in their Test matches, making his debut against India on 14 June 2018. He scored only four runs and took two wickets in that match and Afghanistan lost by an innings and 262 runs.
Mohammad Nabi has played 136 ODIs for Afghanistan till date, scoring 2877 runs at an average of 24.80. His highest score is 116 against India in September 2018. He has also taken 136 wickets at an average of 32.11. His best bowling figures are 4/30 against Scotland in March 2015.
Mohammad Nabi has played 84 T20Is for Afghanistan till date, scoring 1402 runs at an average of 23.36. His highest score is 89 not out against Ireland in March 2017. He has also taken 73 wickets at an average of 24.57. His best bowling figures are 4/10 against Ireland in March 2017.
Mohammad Nabi has played 6 Tests for Afghanistan till date, scoring 190 runs at an average of 21.11. His highest score is 92 against Bangladesh in September 2019. He has also taken 12 wickets at an average of 26.33. His best bowling figures are 3/36 against Bangladesh in September 2019.
Mohammad Nabi was appointed as captain of Afghanistan national cricket team in all formats in March 2013, replacing Nawroz Mangal. He led Afghanistan to their first ODI series win against a full member team (Zimbabwe) in July 2014, scoring a century in the fourth match. He also led Afghanistan to their first Test match win against Ireland in March 2019, scoring a half-century and taking three wickets in the second innings. He stepped down from captaincy in April 2019, handing over the reins to Gulbadin Naib (ODIs), Rashid Khan (T20Is) and Rahmat Shah (Tests).
Mohammad Nabi was involved in a heated exchange with teammate Rashid Khan during an ODI against Pakistan in September 2018, after Rashid accused him of dropping a catch deliberately. The two players had to be separated by the umpires and other teammates. Mohammad Nabi later apologized for his behaviour and said that it was due to the emotions of the game. He was also fined 15 percent of his match fee for showing dissent at an umpire's decision during a T20I against Zimbabwe in March 2020. He was also reprimanded for using inappropriate language during the same match.