Najibullah Zadran is an Afghan cricketer who plays as a left-handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler. He is the vice-captain of the Afghanistan Twenty20 International (T20I) team and one of the most explosive hitters in the game. He made his international debut for Afghanistan in July 2012 and has been a key member of the team since then.
Najibullah Zadran was born on 18 February 1993 in Gurbuz district of Khost province in Afghanistan. His father, Abul Kashem, was a businessman and his mother, Nurjahan Begum, was a homemaker. He has two brothers, Shukrullah and Zekrullah, and one sister. He belongs to the Gurbaz 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 Sheikh Amir High School in Khost province and later moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh for higher education.
Najibullah Zadran 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."
Najibullah Zadran started playing cricket as a batsman and joined the Bangladesh Cricket Board's pace bowling academy in 2015. He played for the Afghanistan under-15 and under-17 teams before making his first-class debut for Chittagong Division in the 2017–18 National Cricket League on 13 October 2017. He made his List A debut for Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity in the 2017–18 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League on 5 February 2018. He was the joint-leading wicket-taker for Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity in the 2017–18 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, with 17 dismissals in eight matches. He made his Twenty20 debut for Bangladesh A against Ireland A on 13 August 2018. In November 2019, he was selected to play for the Dhaka Platoon in the 2019–20 Bangladesh Premier League. He made his Twenty20 debut for Dhaka Platoon in the 2019–20 Bangladesh Premier League on 12 December 2019.
Najibullah Zadran made his One Day International (ODI) debut for Afghanistan against Scotland on 6 July 2012. He scored 23 runs in his first game and helped Afghanistan win by seven wickets. His Twenty20 International (T20I) debut came against India on 19 September 2012 in the T20 World Cup. He scored only four runs in that match and Afghanistan lost by 23 runs. Najibullah has been a regular member of the Afghanistan team in both formats since then and has played some crucial innings for his team. He has also represented Afghanistan in their Test matches, making his debut against India on 14 June 2018. He scored only six runs in that match and Afghanistan lost by an innings and 262 runs.
Najibullah Zadran has played 91 ODIs for Afghanistan till date, scoring 2058 runs at an average of 29.40. His highest score is 104 not out against Ireland in January 2021. He has also taken 0 wickets at an average of –. His best bowling figures are –.
Najibullah Zadran has played 94 T20Is for Afghanistan till date, scoring 1712 runs at an average of 31.70. His highest score is 73 against Zimbabwe in September 2019. He has also taken 0 wickets at an average of –. His best bowling figures are –.
Najibullah Zadran has played 5 Tests for Afghanistan till date, scoring 306 runs at an average of 30.60. His highest score is 99 against Zimbabwe in March 2021. He has also taken 2 wickets at an average of 42.50. His best bowling figures are 1/12 against India in June 2018.
Najibullah Zadran has not captained Afghanistan in any format of the game. He has, however, led Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity in domestic cricket and Dhaka Platoon in the BPL. He is also the vice-captain of the Afghanistan T20I team since April 2021.
Najibullah Zadran was fined 15 percent of his match fee for showing dissent at an umpire's decision during an ODI against Ireland in January 2021. He was also reprimanded for using inappropriate language during a T20I against Zimbabwe in March 2021.