Darwish Rasooli is an Afghan cricketer who has represented Afghanistan at the international level. Born on 12 December 1999, Rasooli developed his reputation as a talented batter through Afghanistan’s domestic cricket structure before earning his opportunity with the national team.
His journey to international cricket began at a young age. He made his List A debut for Speen Ghar Region in 2017 and quickly showed his batting ability by scoring a century in only his second List A match. His performances in domestic competitions continued to attract attention, and he later became one of the leading run-scorers in the Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament.
Rasooli’s rise through Afghanistan’s age-group and domestic cricket teams eventually led to his selection for the senior national squad. He made his T20I debut for Afghanistan against Bangladesh on 3 March 2022, marking an important step in his cricket career.
Darwish Rasooli Early Cricket Career
Darwish Rasooli’s professional cricket journey started with regional cricket in Afghanistan. In August 2017, he made his List A debut for Speen Ghar Region in the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament.
He played his first List A match on 13 August 2017. Although making a debut in professional cricket can be challenging for a young player, Rasooli quickly demonstrated that he had the ability to perform at the senior domestic level.
Just three days after his debut, Rasooli played his second List A match and produced an outstanding innings. He scored an unbeaten 130 runs against Amo Region. The century was an early indication of his potential as a top-order batter and helped bring greater attention to his performances in Afghanistan’s domestic cricket system.
His ability to score heavily at a young age became an important part of his development as a professional cricketer.
Darwish Rasooli T20 Debut
Rasooli also entered Afghanistan’s domestic T20 cricket during 2017.
On 14 September 2017, he made his Twenty20 debut for the Mis Ainak Knights in the Shpageeza Cricket League. The tournament provided another opportunity for the young batter to gain experience in a shorter format of the game.
The Shpageeza Cricket League has played an important role in giving Afghan players exposure to competitive T20 cricket. For Rasooli, appearing in the competition at a young age was another step in his progression toward higher-level cricket.
His experience in both List A and T20 cricket helped him build a broader understanding of the game and develop his skills across different formats.
Record-Breaking Domestic Season in 2018
One of the most important stages of Darwish Rasooli’s early career came in the 2018 Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament.
Rasooli finished the competition as the leading run-scorer, producing a remarkable 1,073 runs in eight matches. The performance highlighted his consistency and ability to score big runs over a longer format.
Scoring more than 1,000 runs in just eight matches was a significant achievement for a young Afghan batter. It showed that Rasooli was capable of maintaining his concentration and producing substantial scores over multiple matches rather than relying on occasional performances.
His strong domestic season further strengthened his reputation and helped him remain on the radar of Afghanistan’s selectors.
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Darwish Rasooli Joins Balkh in Afghanistan Premier League
In September 2018, Darwish Rasooli was named in Balkh’s squad for the first edition of the Afghanistan Premier League.
The Afghanistan Premier League was an important platform for Afghan cricketers, providing players with the opportunity to compete in a high-profile T20 tournament alongside experienced domestic and international players.
For a young player like Rasooli, being included in Balkh’s squad was another sign of his growing status in Afghan cricket. His involvement in domestic franchise cricket also gave him valuable experience in the fast-paced T20 format.
Darwish Rasooli and Afghanistan Under-19 Team
Rasooli’s performances at the domestic level also earned him recognition in Afghanistan’s age-group cricket.
In December 2017, he was named in Afghanistan’s squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. The selection was another important milestone in his development.
Playing in an Under-19 World Cup gives young cricketers the opportunity to compete against players from different cricketing nations. It can also serve as an important pathway toward senior international cricket.
For Rasooli, his inclusion in Afghanistan’s Under-19 setup came during the early stages of his professional career, shortly after he had begun playing senior domestic cricket.
Darwish Rasooli’s Emerging International Opportunities
Rasooli continued to move through Afghanistan’s representative teams over the following years.
In May 2018, he was named in Afghanistan’s Twenty20 International squad for the series against Bangladesh. Although he did not make his international debut at that stage, his selection showed that the national selectors were monitoring his progress.
Later in December 2018, Rasooli was selected for Afghanistan’s Under-23 team for the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. This provided another opportunity for him to gain international-level experience and continue his development.
His involvement with Afghanistan’s emerging teams demonstrated the progression of his career from regional cricket to age-group and senior national-team selection.
Another Emerging Teams Asia Cup Selection
In November 2019, Darwish Rasooli was once again named in Afghanistan’s squad for the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup, which was held in Bangladesh.
By this stage, Rasooli had already built several years of domestic experience. His continued selection for Afghanistan’s emerging setup reflected his position within the country’s group of developing cricketers.
These opportunities helped him gain experience outside Afghanistan and exposed him to different playing conditions and opposition.
Darwish Rasooli’s International Debut
After several years of domestic and representative cricket, Darwish Rasooli finally received his opportunity at senior international level in 2022.
In February 2022, he was named in Afghanistan’s T20I squad for the series against Bangladesh.
Rasooli then made his T20I debut on 3 March 2022 against Bangladesh. His debut marked the culmination of a journey that had started with regional domestic cricket in 2017.
It took several years of performances across List A cricket, T20 cricket, four-day cricket and Afghanistan’s age-group teams before he reached the senior international stage.
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Darwish Rasooli Career Timeline
| Year | Career Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Made List A debut for Speen Ghar Region |
| 2017 | Scored unbeaten 130 against Amo Region in his second List A match |
| 2017 | Made T20 debut for Mis Ainak Knights |
| 2017 | Selected for Afghanistan’s 2018 Under-19 World Cup squad |
| 2018 | Finished as leading run-scorer in Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament |
| 2018 | Scored 1,073 runs in eight matches |
| 2018 | Named in Balkh’s squad for the Afghanistan Premier League |
| 2018 | Selected for Afghanistan’s Under-23 team for ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup |
| 2019 | Selected for Afghanistan’s ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup squad |
| 2022 | Selected for Afghanistan’s T20I squad against Bangladesh |
| 2022 | Made T20I debut against Bangladesh on 3 March |
Why Darwish Rasooli’s Journey Is Important
Darwish Rasooli’s career reflects the pathway available to Afghan cricketers through domestic and age-group cricket. His progression began with regional cricket before moving into T20 competitions, four-day cricket and Afghanistan’s youth teams.
His 1,073 runs in the 2018 Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament remain one of the most notable achievements from the early stage of his career. His unbeaten 130 in only his second List A match also demonstrated his ability to make an immediate impact.
The transition from domestic cricket to international cricket is rarely straightforward. Rasooli spent several years gaining experience and representing Afghanistan at different levels before finally making his senior T20I debut in 2022.
Conclusion
Darwish Rasooli has followed a steady path through Afghan cricket. From his List A debut for Speen Ghar Region in 2017 to his unbeaten 130 in his second match, he quickly showed his potential as a batter.
His outstanding 2018 domestic season, when he scored 1,073 runs in eight matches in the Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament, became another major milestone in his career. He also gained experience through the Shpageeza Cricket League, Afghanistan Premier League setup and the country’s Under-19 and Under-23 teams.
After several selections for Afghanistan’s representative squads, Rasooli finally made his T20I debut against Bangladesh on 3 March 2022.
His career journey shows how domestic performances and consistent appearances for Afghanistan’s development teams can create a pathway toward senior international cricket. For Rasooli, the move from regional cricket to the Afghanistan national team represented the next major chapter in his cricket career.