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Rahmanullah Gurbaz will join his fellow Afghanistan international Naveen ul-Haq at Grace Road next season, after signing for Leicestershire for their Vitality Blast campaign. Gurbaz, who turns 20 next month, scored a 37-ball 46 in Afghanistan's 130-run victory over Scotland on Monday, including four sixes. He made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in 2019, aged 17, and has since scored 492 runs at 35.14 with a best of 87 and a strike-rate of 141.78. In domestic T20 cricket, that strike-rate rises to 152.85, and he is also a capable wicketkeeper, having deputised for Mohammad Shahzad on a number of occasions in his short Afghanistan career. "It has always been my dream to play county cricket," Gurbaz said. "I can't wait to join the Foxes at the Uptonsteel County Ground and from the moment I heard that there was interest, it was an easy decision to make. "Naveen spoke so highly of the Club and I was desperate to be part of that and show the fans what I can do." Head Coach Paul Nixon added: "We have been keeping a very close eye on Rahmanullah [Gurbaz] for a couple of years now. "Rahmanullah is one of the most exciting young players in the modern game, his 360-degree clean power hitting ability is to be marvelled at. "He has a class and a raw power fused into his game and it creates match-winning abilities."
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