Gulbadin Naib is a seasoned batting allrounder from Afghanistan who has been a mainstay of his country’s cricket journey from the lower divisions to the world stage. The 35-year-old from Logar was the youngest member of Afghanistan’s squad that won Division Five in 2008, the first stepping stone to international recognition. His path was not easy—he was dropped early in his career and faced personal hardship, with his father unemployed, his mother ill, and a disabled sister in need of care. But Naib fought back, forcing his way into the national team in 2011 and playing a key role in Afghanistan’s rise. His maiden international fifty contributed to Afghanistan’s first T20I series win over a Full Member, against Zimbabwe in 2015, and his first ODI fifty helped the side break into the top ten in the ODI rankings. He captained Afghanistan at the 2019 World Cup and has been a reliable contributor with both bat and ball across formats, amassing over 2,500 List A runs and 141 wickets. A genuine allrounder with immense experience, Naib remains a respected figure in Afghan cricket.
| Batting & Fielding | ||||||||||||||
| Format | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
| ODIs | 89 | 78 | 11 | 1332 | 82* | 19.88 | 1767 | 75.38 | 0 | 5 | 115 | 33 | 28 | 0 |
| T20Is | 85 | 72 | 20 | 1070 | 63 | 20.57 | 871 | 122.84 | 0 | 4 | 78 | 49 | 31 | 0 |
| FC | 5 | 7 | 1 | 313 | 88* | 52.16 | 379 | 82.58 | 0 | 3 | 39 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| List A | 142 | 123 | 19 | 2527 | 100 | 24.29 | 2987 | 84.59 | 1 | 11 | 205 | 79 | 47 | 0 |
| T20s | 181 | 158 | 40 | 2639 | 91 | 22.36 | 1988 | 132.74 | 0 | 13 | 194 | 124 | 69 | 0 |
| Bowling | ||||||||||||||
| Format | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10w | |
| ODIs | 89 | 80 | 2883 | 2676 | 74 | 6/43 | 6/43 | 36.16 | 5.56 | 38.9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| T20Is | 85 | 50 | 697 | 925 | 35 | 4/20 | 4/20 | 26.42 | 7.96 | 19.9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| FC | 5 | 7 | 460 | 326 | 14 | 5/29 | 5/29 | 23.28 | 4.25 | 32.8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| List A | 142 | 126 | 4801 | 4413 | 141 | 6/43 | 6/43 | 31.29 | 5.51 | 34.0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | |
| T20s | 181 | 128 | 1990 | 2812 | 102 | 4/12 | 4/12 | 27.56 | 8.47 | 19.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
He is a batting allrounder who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm medium-fast, contributing significantly in both departments.
In 89 ODIs, he has scored 1,332 runs at an average of 19.88 and taken 74 wickets. In 85 T20Is, he has scored 1,070 runs and taken 35 wickets.
He was the youngest member of Afghanistan's squad that won Division Five in 2008, played a key role in their first T20I series win over a Full Member (Zimbabwe in 2015), and helped Afghanistan break into the top ten in ODI rankings.
He captained Afghanistan at the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
In 5 first-class matches, he has scored 313 runs at an average of 52.16 and taken 14 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls.
He was dropped from the national team soon after his debut and faced personal hardship with his father unemployed, his mother having hepatitis, and his family caring for his disabled sister.
He has represented Delhi Capitals in the IPL, playing 2 matches.
His maiden international fifty contributed to Afghanistan's first T20I series win over a Full Member (Zimbabwe), and his first ODI fifty helped Afghanistan break into the top ten in ODI rankings.
