
Mohammad Nabi has etched his name into Afghanistan cricket history once again. The veteran all-rounder reached 300 international wickets in the ODI Tri-Series final against Zimbabwe in Sharjah, becoming only the second Afghan bowler to get there after Rashid Khan. At 41, this milestone is a statement of staying power.
The setting was the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE, and the stage was the final of the ODI Tri-Series on Friday. Nabi walked in needing just two wickets to reach the 300 mark.
He delivered. Nabi finished with figures of 2/25 from his full quota of 10 overs, an economy rate of 2.50. That is a tight, controlled spell in a high-pressure final.
The milestone was not a flashy one-over burst. It was a veteran doing what he has done for years: building pressure, staying disciplined and picking up wickets when the team needed them.
Nabi reached the landmark in his 339th international match, having bowled in 316 innings. His bowling average stands at 30.95.
The format split shows just how much of his work has come in white-ball cricket. ODIs account for the bulk of his haul, with T20Is not far behind.
| Format | Wickets |
|---|---|
| Tests | 8 |
| ODIs | 181 |
| T20Is | 111 |
| Total | 300 |
Roughly 60 percent of his wickets have come in ODIs, with 111 more in T20Is and eight in Tests.
Only one Afghan bowler sits above Nabi on the all-time list. Rashid Khan leads the way with 477 international wickets, a towering figure that underlines his global standing.
Behind Nabi is Mujeeb Ur Rahman with 189 wickets. That leaves Nabi firmly in second place, 111 clear of the next man.
| Player | International Wickets |
|---|---|
| Rashid Khan | 477 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 300 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 189 |
The gap between the top three shows how rare this club is. Nabi is now one of only two Afghan bowlers to cross the 300 mark.
Nabi made his international debut in 2009, when Afghanistan was still an emerging cricketing nation. Since then, he has been part of the team’s rise into a competitive force on the world stage.
Across 339 international matches, he has represented Afghanistan through their early years, major tournament appearances and expansion across formats. Few players can claim to have seen the entire journey from the inside.
His career offers a simple insight: longevity in cricket is built on adaptability. Nabi has stayed relevant by contributing with both bat and ball across more than a decade and a half.
Nabi’s career now spans over 17 years, and he continues to play for Afghanistan at 41. That alone is a notable achievement in a sport that demands so much physically.
Alongside his 300 wickets, he has scored 6,343 runs. That makes him the leading run-scorer in Afghanistan’s international cricket history.
Very few cricketers can pair a 300-wicket haul with more than 6,000 runs. It is the clearest sign of just how influential Nabi has been as a genuine all-rounder.
For Afghanistan, Nabi’s 300 wickets represent more than a personal record. They reflect the steady rise of a cricketing nation, and one of its most trusted players has been there from the beginning.
Having him and Rashid Khan as the two 300-wicket bowlers gives Afghan cricket a remarkable pair of icons. One is the global superstar, the other the experienced all-rounder who helped lay the foundations.
The next question is how much more Nabi can add. With his experience and his form in the final, the veteran shows no sign of slowing down just yet.






