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]

Najeeb Tarakai
Personal information
Born(1991-02-02)2 February 1991
Kabul, Afghanistan
Died6 October 2020(2020-10-06) (aged 29)
Jalalabad, Afghanistan
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm off break
RoleOpening batsman
International information
National side
Only ODI (cap 42)24 March 2017 v Ireland
T20I debut (cap 25)16 March 2014 v Bangladesh
Last T20I15 September 2019 v Bangladesh
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2011/12Afghan Cheetahs
2017Boost Defenders
2017/18Amo Sharks
2017/18–2019/20Spin Ghar Tigers
2018/19–2019Nangarhar Leopards
Career statistics
Competition ODI T20I FC LA
Matches 1 12 24 17
Runs scored 5 258 2,030 553
Batting average 5.00 21.50 47.20 32.52
100s/50s 0/0 0/1 6/10 1/3
Top score 5 90 200 121
Balls bowled 1,449 204
Wickets 21 4
Bowling average 38.47 36.75
5 wickets in innings 0 0
10 wickets in match 0 0
Best bowling 4/59 2/21
Catches/stumpings 0/– 3/– 21/– 9/–
Source: Cricinfo, 6 October 2020
Medal record
Men's Cricket
Representing  Afghanistan
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place 2014 Incheon Team

Domestic career

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Tarakai 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

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He 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

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On 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

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  1. ^ "Najeeb Tarakai passes away after accident". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Afghanistan batsman Najeeb Tarakai passes away after road accident". Sport Star. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Afghanistan cricketer Najeeb Tarakai dies following road accident". Tribune India. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Najeeb Tarakai, Afghanistan cricketer who was injured in car accident, dies; ACB mourns death". Zee News. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Sri Lanka thrash Afghanistan by 68 runs to win gold medal at Asian Games 2014". Cricket Country. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Twenty20 Matches played by Najib Taraki". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  7. ^ "Twenty20 Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Najib Taraki". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  8. ^ "Afghanistan Premier League 2018 – All you need to know from the player draft". CricTracker. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  9. ^ "Alokozay Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament, 2018, Speen Ghar Region: Batting and bowling averages". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  10. ^ "Records: Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament, 2019, Most runs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  11. ^ Booth, Lawrence (2021). Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. p. 270. ISBN 9781472975478.
  12. ^ "World T20, 1st Match, First Round Group A: Bangladesh v Afghanistan at Dhaka, Mar 16, 2014". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  13. ^ "Najeeb Tarakai". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  14. ^ "Afghanistan tour of India, 2nd T20I: Afghanistan v Ireland at Greater Noida, Mar 10, 2017". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  15. ^ "Afghanistan tour of India, 5th ODI: Afghanistan v Ireland at Greater Noida, Mar 24, 2017". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  16. ^ "Afghanistan opener Najeebullah in critical condition after accident". CricBuzz. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Afghanistan batsman Najeeb Tarakai dies after road accident". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  18. ^ "Afghanistan Cricketer Najeeb Tarakai In Coma After Fatal Road Accident". Cricket Addictor. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  19. ^ "Afghanistan Batsman Najeeb Tarakai Loses Life in Road Accident, Board Mourns Death". News18. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
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