Afghan-born cricketer Zainullah Ihsan is on the brink of making his Scotland ODI debut, completing an extraordinary journey from playing tape-ball cricket in Nangarhar to the international stage.

The 20-year-old fast bowler arrived in Glasgow as a refugee in 2022 following a difficult journey from Afghanistan through Europe. According to The National, he spoke almost no English when he arrived, knowing little more than “Hi” and “Hello”.

Originally from Nangarhar, Zainullah began his cricket journey playing tape-ball cricket in Afghanistan. Shortly after arriving in Scotland, a friend spotted his bowling ability and encouraged him to join a local cricket club.

He arrived in Scotland on June 1, 2022, and within two weeks was playing competitive cricket. In his first match, he claimed four wickets, quickly earning a place in the club’s first team.

His rapid rise continued from club cricket to regional competition, Scotland Under-19s and eventually the national side.

Zainullah was also included in Scotland’s squad for this year’s T20 World Cup in India after the team received a late invitation to replace Bangladesh. Although he did not make the starting XI during the tournament, he has already earned two T20 international caps.

He could now take another major step in his career by making his ODI debut as Scotland continue their Cricket World Cup League 2 campaign against Canada and the United Arab Emirates.

Scotland coach Owen Dawkins has described Zainullah as a player with “high potential”, highlighting his work ethic and the progress he has made through club, regional and Under-19 cricket.

His development has not been limited to the cricket field. When he arrived in Scotland, Zainullah had very limited English. Four years later, he is almost fluent while continuing his studies alongside other refugees from different countries.

His growing cricket career has also been a source of pride for his family in Afghanistan, although they initially struggled to believe that he had been selected to represent Scotland.

Zainullah said his father later encouraged him to continue working hard and to strive to become not only a better cricketer, but also a good person.

From tape-ball cricket in Nangarhar to the possibility of representing Scotland in ODI cricket, Zainullah’s rise is already a remarkable story of talent, determination and opportunity — and the young fast bowler has no intention of stopping here.

Rashid Khan took six wickets as Afghanistan defeated Ireland by 92 runs in the second ODI on Friday, taking a 1–0 lead in the five-match series.

The first match was washed out by rain.

Afghanistan posted 299 for eight after opener Ibrahim Zadran top-scored with 84. Ireland, chasing 300 in a rain-shortened match of 47 overs per side, were bowled out for 207.

Khan was the standout bowler, finishing with 6-34. It was his third six-wicket haul in ODI cricket.

The leg-spinner made two early breakthroughs, dismissing Andy Balbirnie and Harry Tector, before returning to take four of Ireland’s final seven wickets.

Ireland appeared in contention at 144 for three, needing 156 runs from 137 balls with seven wickets in hand. However, their innings quickly fell apart after Lorcan Tucker was run out by Sediqullah Atal following a direct hit from point.

The third ODI will be played in Belfast on Monday.

Fans can watch the match live on Ariana Television Network (ATN).

Afghanistan’s national futsal team wrapped up its campaign at the Continental Futsal Championship with an emphatic 6-1 victory over New Zealand in its fourth and final match of the tournament.

The match, played on Thursday in Bangkok, Thailand, marked Afghanistan’s first and only win of the competition. Omid Qanbari scored twice, while Javad Haidari, Mehran Gholami and other teammates added to the tally in one of Afghanistan’s strongest performances of the tournament.

Afghanistan entered the match after defeats to Thailand and Vietnam and a hard-fought draw against Russia. The team finished the tournament with one win, one draw and two defeats.

The Continental Futsal Championship, held in Bangkok from August 1 to 6, featured five national teams competing in a round-robin format.

Although Afghanistan did not advance further in the tournament, the competition provided valuable experience against higher-ranked opponents and served as an important step in the team’s preparations for upcoming international competitions.

In recent years, Afghanistan has continued to make steady progress in futsal, with the national team focusing on strengthening its squad, improving its international competitiveness and enhancing its presence in Asian futsal.