Who is Shahnawaz Dahani?

Shahnawaz Dahani is a Pakistani right-arm fast-medium bowler who faced India in the Asia Cup 2022 opening clash against arch-rivals India on Sunday, August 28, 2022.

In what was his first appearance against India, the bowler, even before he could show his skills with the ball, performed some thrilling rear guard action at the tail of the Pakistan lineup. He single-handedly steered Pakistan’s innings after they were reduced to 128/9. The tailender hit eight runs off two balls in the penultimate over, including a six off Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, India’s bowler with the best figures in the match. He then again hit a maximum of youngster Arshdeep Singh to take Pakistan to a respectable total of 147.

He bowled with discipline as Pakistan looked to successfully defend a modest total, but although he looked a threat at times, he couldn’t prise any wickets in the match. He finished with fiures of 0/29.

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Who is Shahnawaz Dahani?

Shahnawaz Dahani was born on August 5, 1998 in Larkana which is a city located in Sindh which is province in the south-eastern region of Pakistan.

He was named to the Pakistan Test squad for their test series in Pakistan’s 2021 tour of Zimbabwe but did not feature in any game for the all–greens. He was similarly named to the Pakistan Test squad in June 2021 for their series against the West Indies, but a test debut has eluded him so far. 

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He made his international debut in the T20 format eventually when he was named to the team to play Bangladesh on November 22, 2021. He claimed his first international scalp on debut- Bangladeshi opener Najmul Hossain Shanto and returned with figures of 1/24 as Pakistan beat their rivals.

His next T20 outing came against the West Indies in Karachi on December 16, 2021. On a bowler’s graveyard of a track where bowlers were despatched all round the park in a high-scoring game, Dahani kept things tight from his end. He returned with an impressively economical 1/23 in his allotted overs, taking out well-set opener Shamarh Brooks who was on 49. Pakistan chased down 207 with 7 balls to spare.

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He made his ODI debut on June 12, 2022, against the West Indies in Multan, and returned with figures of 1/36 in a game won by Pakistan via the Duckworth/Lewis method. His 2nd and at the time of writing, only other one-day appearance came on Pakistan’s tour of the Netherlands.

Domestically, Dahani plays for the Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and represents Sindh in first-class cricket.