Mujeeb ur Rahman is an Afghan cricketer who plays as a right-arm off-break bowler. He is one of the leading spinners of the Afghanistan national cricket team along with Rashid Khan. He made his international debut for Afghanistan in December 2017 and became the first male cricketer to play international cricket who was born in the 21st century.
Mujeeb ur Rahman was born on 28 March 2001 in Khost, Afghanistan. His father, Abdul Qayum, was a businessman and his mother, Zainab, was a homemaker. He has two brothers, Shukrullah and Zekrullah, and one sister. He belongs to the Zadran tribe of Afghanistan. He was passionate about cricket since his childhood and his father introduced him to the game when he was nine years old. He studied at King Khaled Institute, Stamford College and American International University of Bangladesh.
Mujeeb ur Rahman is married to his cousin, Samia Parvin, who is a psychology student at Dhaka University. They tied the knot on 22 March 2019 and have a daughter who was born in November 2020. He follows Islam and his hobbies include fishing, playing video games and watching movies. His favourite quote is "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."
Mujeeb ur Rahman started playing cricket as a batsman and bowler and joined the Afghanistan Cricket Board's academy in 2015. He played for the Afghanistan under-15 and under-17 teams before making his first-class debut for Speen Ghar Region in the 2017 Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament on 1 March 2017. He made his List A debut for Speen Ghar Region in the 2017 Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament on 10 August 2017. He was the leading wicket-taker for Speen Ghar Region in both tournaments, with 20 wickets in four matches and 17 wickets in five matches respectively. He made his Twenty20 debut for Boost Defenders in the 2017 Shpageeza Cricket League on 11 September 2017. In November 2017, he was signed by Comilla Victorians for the 2017–18 Bangladesh Premier League season.
Mujeeb ur Rahman made his One Day International (ODI) debut for Afghanistan against Ireland on 5 December 2017. He took four wickets in that match and helped Afghanistan win by 138 runs. His Twenty20 International (T20I) debut came against Zimbabwe on 5 February 2018 in the T20 World Cup Qualifier. He took three wickets in that match and helped Afghanistan win by five wickets. Mujeeb ur Rahman has been a regular member of the Afghanistan team in both formats since then and has played some crucial spells for his team. He has also represented Afghanistan in their Test matches, making his debut against India on 14 June 2018. He took one wicket in that match but Afghanistan lost by an innings and 262 runs.
Mujeeb ur Rahman has played 64 ODIs for Afghanistan till date, scoring 181 runs at an average of 9.05. His highest score is 64 against Ireland in January 2021. He has also taken 91 wickets at an average of 25.08. His best bowling figures are 5/50 against Zimbabwe in February 2020.
Mujeeb ur Rahman has played 43 T20Is for Afghanistan till date, scoring 33 runs at an average of 6.60. His highest score is 18 against Bangladesh in September 2019. He has also taken 56 wickets at an average of 17.83. His best bowling figures are 5/20 against Ireland in March 2020.
Mujeeb ur Rahman has played 1 Test for Afghanistan till date, scoring 18 runs at an average of 9.00. His highest score is 15 against India in June 2018. He has also taken 1 wicket at an average of 75.00. His best bowling figures are 1/75 against India in June 2018.
Mujeeb ur Rahman has not captained Afghanistan in any format of the game. He has, however, led Speen Ghar Region and Comilla Victorians in domestic cricket.
Mujeeb ur Rahman was fined 15 percent of his match fee for showing dissent at an umpire's decision during an ODI against Ireland in January 2021. He was also reprimanded for using inappropriate language during a T20I against Zimbabwe in March 2021.