A hundred on Test debut — now an APL pick
Ismatullah Alam’s name reached the APL on 3 November 2026, when Nangarhar Cosmic picked him in the Silver category at the player draft in Dubai. The draft completed all five squads for the revived league: 90 players were selected from a pool of 462 registered cricketers, across six categories and 18 rounds. Alam was one of Nangarhar’s five Silver picks.
He is a batting all-rounder: a right-hand batter who bowls right-arm fast-medium, born in Nangarhar on 2 February 2002. His headline achievement came on Test debut, when he scored 101 against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo on 2 January 2025 — a hundred in his first Test innings. His T20I debut followed on 24 September 2026, against Japan at Nisshin. At domestic level he plays for Speen Ghar Tigers and Pamir Legends.
For Cosmic, Alam is the kind of player who covers two jobs at once. He can bat in the middle order and bowl a spell of medium pace, which gives Toby Radford room to balance the side around the overseas stars. In a nineteen-man squad, a batting all-rounder who has already made a Test hundred is a useful thing to have.
APL 2026-27 in numbers
The season has not started, so Ismatullah Alam has no APL 2026-27 runs, wickets or matches yet. His first numbers in this league will come after Nangarhar Cosmic’s opening match — the season’s first ball is on Sunday 27 December 2026. Until then, the table below is his career at a glance.
| Detail | Ismatullah Alam |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 February 2002, Nangarhar, Afghanistan |
| Role | Batting all-rounder |
| Batting | Right-hand bat |
| Bowling | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Draft category | Silver — reported $20,000 |
| APL history | APL debut in 2026-27 |
Career facts are from the player’s verified profile record. No APL 2026-27 figures exist yet — the season starts on 27 December 2026.
Where Nangarhar stand
Nangarhar Cosmic’s local core is young — Faisal Khan Shinozada, Bahar Ali Shinwari and Islam Khan Zazai are all Emerging picks — and Alam sits just above them as a Silver pick with Test cricket behind him. Captain Rahmat Shah leads the side, Toby Radford coaches it, and Mark Boucher mentors it.
Cosmic play eight league matches, two against each of the other four teams, with four playoff places on offer. The APL T20 season opens on Sunday 27 December 2026 at 5:30 PM Afghanistan time, and the final is on Wednesday 20 January 2027. Alam’s Test hundred says he does not shrink on a big stage.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ismatullah Alam’s role for Nangarhar Cosmic?
He is a batting all-rounder — a right-hand batter who bowls right-arm fast-medium, picked in the Silver category.
Did Ismatullah Alam score a hundred on Test debut?
Yes. He scored 101 against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo on 2 January 2025, in his first Test innings for Afghanistan.
Has Ismatullah Alam played in the APL before?
No. APL 2026-27 is his debut in the league; he was picked at the Dubai draft on 3 November 2026.
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