Noor Ahmad

Noor Ahmad Lakanwal, born on 3 January 2005, is an Afghan cricketer who made his international debut for the national cricket team in June 2022.

He started his career by making his first-class debut for Kabul Region in the 2019 Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament on 29 April 2019. Following this, he made his Twenty20 debut for Mis Ainak Knights in the 2019 Shpageeza Cricket League on 8 October 2019.

In December 2019, he was named in Afghanistan's squad for the 2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, marking his entry into the international arena. He continued to showcase his talent by joining various leagues, including the St Lucia Zouks squad for the 2020 Caribbean Premier League and playing for Mis Ainak Region in the 2020 Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament.

Notably, at the age of 15, he was signed by the Melbourne Renegades to play in the 2020–21 Big Bash League season in Australia. His journey continued as he joined Chennai Super Kings as a net bowler for the 2021 Indian Premier League and played for the Karachi Kings in the 2021 Pakistan Super League.

His international career gained momentum when he was named in Afghanistan's One Day International (ODI) squad for their series against Pakistan in July 2021. Later, he represented Afghanistan in the 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies and made his debut for the Quetta Gladiators in the 2022 Pakistan Super League.

In February 2022, he was bought by the Gujarat Titans in the auction for the 2022 Indian Premier League tournament, further solidifying his presence in the cricketing world.

Ahmad's international debut came in May 2022 when he was named in Afghanistan's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their series against Zimbabwe. He made his T20I debut on 14 June 2022 against Zimbabwe. Subsequently, he made his ODI debut on 30 November 2022 against Sri Lanka and his ODI World Cup debut on 23 October 2023 against Pakistan in Chennai, becoming the youngest debutant in the tournament at the age of 18.