Shawkat Zaman Momand — back in the APL after eight years

Two matches in 2018 — and a second chance

Shawkat Zaman Momand was born on 1 January 2000 in Batikoot, Nangarhar, Afghanistan. He is a right-handed batter who bowls right-arm off-break, and he joins Kandahar Warriors for APL 2026-27 as a Supplementary pick from the player draft in Dubai on 3 November 2026. No salary is published for Supplementary picks.

It is a return eight years in the making. His first APL chapter was played in different colours, for Kabul Zwanan in 2018, and it lasted just two matches. He spent most of that season on the bench, sitting out the opener and both the semi-final and the final as Kabul finished runners-up to Balkh Legends.

His two chances came in the middle of the league stage, four days apart, and he took both of them: 5 not out against Balkh Legends on 14 October 2018, and 25 against Paktia Panthers on 18 October 2018. The first of those was a run-fest — Balkh made 244 for 6 — and Shawkat’s unbeaten five came at the end of a chase Kabul could not finish.

His domestic record says the talent was always there: 169 runs on his first-class debut, for Speen Ghar against Amo in October 2017, and domestic cricket for Band-e-Amir Region ever since. The APL is his first franchise stage since 2018, and his first chance to show what eight years of domestic cricket have built.

Shawkat Zaman Momand in numbers

The season has not started, so there are no APL 2026-27 numbers for Shawkat Zaman Momand yet. The first ball is on Sunday 27 December 2026, and his figures for this season will be added here after Match 1.

His 2018 record is small but real: two matches for Kabul Zwanan, 5 not out against Balkh Legends on 14 October and 25 against Paktia Panthers on 18 October. His first-class debut, a year earlier, brought 169 runs for Speen Ghar against Amo.

2018 figures from the Sharjah season, 5–21 October 2018, for Kabul Zwanan. The 2026-27 row stays blank until the season starts on 27 December 2026.

The Supplementary pick with a point to prove

Supplementary picks close out a squad, and they are usually the last names read at a draft — but Shawkat’s story is different from most of them. He has already played in this league, already batted in it, and already waited eight years for a second chance. That wait is the point: he is not a young player hoping for a debut, he is a 26-year-old domestic batter who knows exactly how rare this opportunity is.

His route into the XI is through the middle order, where Kandahar have power but also moving parts — three keepers, two openers, and a lower order that will change from game to game. A right-handed batter who can bat anywhere from three to six, and bowl off-break if a match needs it, is the kind of player a coach keeps close.

The Afghanistan Premier League 2026 season starts on 27 December 2026, and Kandahar play eight league matches. Shawkat played two matches in 2018 — this time, he will want more than two.