One of the young bowlers who received glowing reports after attending the training camp run by Wasim Akram was Lahore born teenager Mohammad Aftab.

Full name: Mohammad Aftab
Born: August 14, 1996, Lahore, Punjab 
Major teams: Lahore Lions, Pakistan Under-19s
Batting style: Left-hand bat 
Bowling style: Left-arm medium-fast

 Lahore born teenager Mohammad Aftab was one of the young bowlers who received glowing reports after attending training camp organised by Wasim Akram. Another in the battery of left arm pace bowlers, Aftab came to the attention of the watching public when he bowled excellently for the Lahore Lions against Abbottabad in the hugely popular Super Eights Twenty20 tournament earlier this year. Bowling with good pace and accuracy, Aftab took one for 27 from four sharp overs, as Lahore won by three wickets.

Aftab was drafted in at the last moment to play in the Super Eights tournament in March 2013 after originally not being in the squad. However after playing that match for the Lahore Lions, his life quite literally changed overnight.

Naturally Aftab’s bowling style and impressive pace have already brought comparisons with fellow left arm pace bowler Mohammad Amir, something that Aftab isn’t surprised about but is a little uneasy over.  He models his bowling action after his cricketing hero and former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram and hopes to one day represent Pakistan at the international stage.

Aftab was included in Pakistan’s Under-19 squad that took part in a 50 over tri nation tournament in England in August 2013 which included the hosts and Bangladesh Under-19s. He was among the leading wicket -takers in the tournament,  finishing with 11 wickets at an average just under 23. He followed this up with a very disciplined performance in the Tri-Nation Under-19s Tournament in United Arab Emirates where he played only 3 of the 7 matches but ended up with 13 wickets at an average of 13.50.  For Mohammad Aftab, the 2013/14 Asian Cricket Council Under-19s Asia Cup was not something to write home about has he went wicketless during the tournament.

He featured in a few T20 games for Lahore Lions in 2014-15 and picked up 9 wickets in 7 matches in the season. 

[Last updated: 17 June 2015]