Mohammad Nabi has seen it all with Bangladesh Cricket. Making his domestic debut back in 2007, Mohammad Nabi was a part of the eleven when Afghanistan played their first ODI, T20, and Test. He was with them before they got ODI Status in 2009 and was a key member who saw Afghanistan move from Division Five to ODI Status.

In his early days, Mohammad Nabi showed consistency and was quickly given leadership roles. From being the first name on the teamsheet back in the day, Mohammad Nabi is now stamped in the eleven when the team is made. As a player though he has always had players who are a lot more flashier.

In 2012, the presence of the likes of Mohammad Shehzad and Gulbadin Naib took the spotlight. Shahzad, with his flamboyant batting and helicopter shot, was their first star to grab the headlines. He did not enjoy a consistent career though with fitness and discipline taking the spotlight as he went on.

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Gulbadin Naib, a pace bowling version of Mohammad Nabi is another who had the eyes on him. He was solid down the order, pretty fit, and reliable. Captaincy in the 2019 World Cup though did not do him too well with Naib fading soon after. Hamid Hassan is another who was really fast with his bowling., but could not sustain it due to injuries.

Fast forward to a decade later and Mohammad Nabi is still standing. Is he a standout player in the side though? Probably not with both the batting and bowling line-ups having names who are a lot more flashy. With the ball, Afghanistan has found some good fast bowlers and an arsenal of spin.

They have one of the best players going around in Rashid Khan while Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmed are gaining fame as well. With one of the best leg-spinners in the World, a consistent right-arm spinner who mixes it up, and a left-arm wrist spinner it is often easy to ignore a spinner who bowls simple right-arm off-spin.

Mohammad Nabi’s action is the sole proof of his silence in the side. He gently jogs up to the crease and releases the ball ever so smoothly, making it look like he is putting no effort into his ball. The Job though is done more often than not. Unlike the others who offer variety, Nabi sticks to consistency. Tight lines and pressure is how he operates. Before the opposition knows it, Mohammad Nabi zips through his overs, and when they try to go after him they get caught in his trap.

Gentle changes in flight and length are how he tends to deceive the batters. An old-fashioned but evergreen trick. With the bat too, Mohammad Nabi is often forgotten. Batting below a generation of Afghanistan’s best batters and just ahead of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi again remains overshadowed. His batting hasn’t been used much in this tournament. Back in the day though, rescue acts from him and Naib were common with Afghanistan collapsing due to lack of experience at the top.

He has been a part of 3 ODI World Cups and has now seen the best for Afghanistan. In 2015, Afghanistan was there to make up the numbers. A win against Scotland was encouraging but not everything. Four years on, Afghanistan win the World Cup Qualifiers and is in a 10-team World Cup. Rashid Khan is a hot property in franchise Cricket.

Afghanistan’s fortunes though remain the same. They go home win-less. In the interim, Afghanistan also attained Test status only to lose their first Test in 2 days. Mohammad Nabi though has seen days worse, and a Test debut, despite losing is a massive success story in his career.

5 years on from that debut though he still stands. Afghanistan are into their Final game of the World Cup. 8 games in they are still alive, although the margins required are impossible. The scenario though is a massive improvement from what he has seen in his early days. He is still around and has added his tally of conquered nations to 43.

At 38 this is certainly his last World Cup in the 50-over format. He has already called it a day in Tests. With Afghanistan, though set to play in the Champions Trophy, Nabi could be tempted to push his career for another 2 years. He does have another T20 World Cup coming up, and it will be interesting to see if Afghanistan’s silent and constant force pushes him for another couple of years.