Najeeb Tarakai (2 February 1991 – 6 October 2020) was an Afghan cricketer who played international cricket for the Afghanistan team.[1] He played twelve Twenty20 International matches and a One Day International fixture.[2] Tarakai made his international debut at the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 tournament in Bangladesh.[3] In domestic cricket, he scored more than 2,000 runs in first-class matches.[4] He was part of the Afghan team that won the silver medal in the cricket tournament at the 2014 Asian Games.[5]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 2 February 1991 Kabul, Afghanistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 6 October 2020 (aged 29) Jalalabad, Afghanistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm off break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Opening batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Only ODI (cap 42) | 24 March 2017 v Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 25) | 16 March 2014 v Bangladesh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 15 September 2019 v Bangladesh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011/12 | Afghan Cheetahs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Boost Defenders | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017/18 | Amo Sharks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017/18–2019/20 | Spin Ghar Tigers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018/19–2019 | Nangarhar Leopards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 6 October 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Domestic career
editTarakai made his Twenty20 debut for the Afghan Cheetahs in the Faysal Bank Twenty-20 Cup against Rawalpindi Rams. He played in the Cheetahs two other fixtures in that competition, against Faisalabad Wolves and Multan Tigers.[6] In these three matches, he scored a total of 54 runs at an average of 18.00, with a high score of 34.[7] In September 2018, he was named in Nangarhar's squad in the first edition of the Afghanistan Premier League tournament.[8]
He was the leading run-scorer for Speen Ghar Region in the 2018 Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament, with 719 runs in ten matches.[9] He was also the leading run-scorer in the 2019 Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament, with 670 runs in five matches, including four centuries in successive games.[10][11]
International career
editHe made his debut against Bangladesh in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 tournament.[12] He played two Twenty20 International (T20I) matches for Afghanistan in 2014.[13]
On 10 March 2017 against Ireland, Tarakai scored 90 runs during the second T20I at Greater Noida. His match-winning performance along with the bowling performance by Rashid Khan, brought him his maiden man of the match award.[14]
He made his One Day International (ODI) debut for Afghanistan against Ireland at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground on 24 March 2017.[15]
Death
editOn 2 October 2020, Tarakai sustained a severe head injury after being hit by a motorist while crossing a road in Jalalabad.[16] He was taken to a hospital in Nangarhar and underwent surgery while in a coma.[17] He died four days later on 6 October 2020, with his death being confirmed by the Afghanistan Cricket Board.[18][19]
References
edit- ^ "Najeeb Tarakai passes away after accident". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Afghanistan batsman Najeeb Tarakai passes away after road accident". Sport Star. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Afghanistan cricketer Najeeb Tarakai dies following road accident". Tribune India. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Najeeb Tarakai, Afghanistan cricketer who was injured in car accident, dies; ACB mourns death". Zee News. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Sri Lanka thrash Afghanistan by 68 runs to win gold medal at Asian Games 2014". Cricket Country. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Twenty20 Matches played by Najib Taraki". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
- ^ "Twenty20 Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Najib Taraki". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
- ^ "Afghanistan Premier League 2018 – All you need to know from the player draft". CricTracker. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ "Alokozay Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament, 2018, Speen Ghar Region: Batting and bowling averages". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ "Records: Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament, 2019, Most runs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
- ^ Booth, Lawrence (2021). Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. p. 270. ISBN 9781472975478.
- ^ "World T20, 1st Match, First Round Group A: Bangladesh v Afghanistan at Dhaka, Mar 16, 2014". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ "Najeeb Tarakai". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ "Afghanistan tour of India, 2nd T20I: Afghanistan v Ireland at Greater Noida, Mar 10, 2017". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Afghanistan tour of India, 5th ODI: Afghanistan v Ireland at Greater Noida, Mar 24, 2017". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ "Afghanistan opener Najeebullah in critical condition after accident". CricBuzz. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ "Afghanistan batsman Najeeb Tarakai dies after road accident". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ "Afghanistan Cricketer Najeeb Tarakai In Coma After Fatal Road Accident". Cricket Addictor. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ "Afghanistan Batsman Najeeb Tarakai Loses Life in Road Accident, Board Mourns Death". News18. Retrieved 5 October 2020.