The Afghanistan national cricket team has been cricket's feel good story over the past few years. As they have continued to play and win at international level, more has been written about them.
The first player people paid attention to was Mohammad Shahzad. Afghanistan needed something to really make people take notice, and here was a batsman with talent, flair, and something called the 'helicopter shot'. When Afghanistan played in their first World T20, there he was, playing his shots, making people take notice.
But Shahzad has been moved out of the first XI. Not because he isn't talented, or capable with the bat, but because he isn't fit enough. He has many years left to change this, but at the moment he seems to have been only the spark to get his nation noticed.
Next to be noticed was Hamid Hassan. Hassan is a classic fast bowler, sporting a headband and war paint. His focus is purely on taking wickets. He is probably the best bowler not playing Test cricket. He is an absolute joy to watch. But like a classic fast bowler, he gets injured regularly. So when Afghanistan is playing, he isn't always there.
So next was Mohammad Nabi. Nabi, unlike Shahzad and Hassan, is never out of the team. He is never injured, and does something important pretty much every match, either with a stabilising fifty, or an economical spell of off-spin. He's also their captain now. Nabi is the face of Afghan cricket, so how can you not pay attention to him?
The beauty of television has presented another Afghan player to the world: Shapoor Zadran. Shapoor is also a classic fast bowler, but in a different sense. If Hassan is a beast, then Shapoor is a beauty. He is magnificently tall, with glorious hair and a run-up that defies the modern age of precise science. He is an attention magnet.
So, that's four players to write about, four players to define Afghan cricket.
But there's one more player. One who has never had the attention these four have had. One who has made his way up the ranks from useful player to absolute necessity.
He is a player who demonstrates both aggression and calm, and seems able to use these both where appropriate, an absolutely vital attribute in international cricket. He has the heart of warrior, and the mind of a ruler.
His name is Samiullah Shenwari.
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Shenwari played U17s for Afghanistan, along with many of his current national teammates. He was their high scorer in their loss to Oman at the ACC U17s Cup in 2004, and also took a wicket.
He played in the 2006 ACC Trophy in 2006. Sometimes he batted up the order, sometimes he batted down the order. Sometimes he would be ten overs and take a couple of wickets. Sometimes he wouldn't bowl at all. In the semi-final he batted at nine and did not bowl, in the third place play-off he batted at four and bowled five overs.
When Afghanistan began their push towards the 2011 World Cup in 2008, they were in division five of the World Cricket League. Afghanistan won the division. Shenwari scored two runs across three innings (batting at seven and eight), and bowled two balls.
In division four, which Afghanistan won, he batted at eight and nine, scoring 49 runs in six matches. He also took three wickets.
In division three, which Afghanistan came second in, he scored 113 runs in four innings, including a fifty, still batting at eight. He also took seven wickes.
Come the World Cup Qualifier, he was still batting at eight, scoring 194 runs, and bowling a bit, taking eight wickets.
When Afghanistan played their Intercontinental Cup match against the Netherlands, he batted at eight. When Afghanistan played their first ever ODI, against the same team, he batted at eight.
But then, in their second ODI, Shenwari got promoted to five in a search for quick runs. It worked, and Afghanistan chased down 232, with Shenwari scoring 30* off 39 deliveries.
He went back down to eight for their next ODIs and the first few matches of WCL division one. Then Afghanistan found themselves in a tight spot early against Kenya, so Shenwari came in at four. He scored a match winning 82 off 118.
Again, he went back down the order, mainly in the team for his useful leg-spin. But something had sparked, because every now and then he would come up from his position at eight or nine, and play a decent innings. Importantly, it was rarely a quickfire cameo. He was more likely to make his 30 at a strike rate of 60 than at a strike rate of 140.
By 2013 he had been nudged up to number seven, where he played a match winning innings of 81 against Bangladesh, and was pushed up to number six. After one innings there, he went back to eight. But the match-winner at seven may have been what caught the eye of the new Afghan coach.
Andy Moles arrived as Afghanistan's coach in 2014. Their first series following his appointment was against Zimbabwe. Shenwari found himself batting at five. And the thing was, he kept scoring runs. After Mohammad Nabi showed his batting to be just as reliable, they were swapped. But the two have stayed within one position of each other since then.
Then, in January 2015, Shenwari demonstrated everything that makes him so important to Afghanistan. They had defeated Scotland easily in the first match of a short tri-series. In the rematch, they fell apart, bowled out for 63, losing by 150 runs.
In Afghanistan's next match, Shenwari set about proving that Afghanistan could bat out a match, even if he had to do it himself. He ground out 50 from 96. Najibullah Zadran hit 83 from 50, an innings that won Afghanistan the match. Samiullah's innings seems unremarkable in comparison. But it was a foundation on which to build. That is what Shenwari does.
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In a team that is renowned more for big hitting than grinding, Shenwari's application is an anomaly. He has a strike rate just under 70, despite an average of 38.51. This seems quite low. It seems even lower when you consider he's spent much of his career as a lower order batsman, in the team for his bowling more than his batting. His record batting up the order is actually quite remarkable: 754 runs @ 68.54. His lowest score at four is 38. At five he has made two single digit scores, and then a next lowest score of 39*. That is the kind of batting a team can build around.
It is the kind of batting that wins matches too.
When Shenwari came in at number four today against Scotland, Afghanistan were 2/45. With the help of Javed Ahmadi, Shenwari took the score to 2/85. Then, having just made his 50, Ahmadi had a wild swing at a Richie Berrington delivery, sent the ball in the air, and was out. The next four wickets fell for twelve runs. Shenwari could only calmly block, take singles and watch from the other end as the team fell around him.
Dawlat Zadran put on a 35 run partnership with Shenwari, before doing the same thing Ahmadi did, with the same result. Shenwari was livid. His calm demeanour was broken for those few seconds, and he seemed like the rest of his team - passionate and emotional. In many ways, Afghanistan seems like Pakistan from years ago.
But then he calmed again, reset, and got to working with the beast, Hamid Hassan. For the next twelve overs, the two set about bringing down the runs required. Hamid would block and leave and take the single where appropriate. Shenwari would do the same, but also take some boundaries from time to time. When he did this, it never seemed wild or out of control. It was always well controlled aggression. Despite the odds, Shenwari looked like he could single-handedly carry his team home.
Majid Haq came on in the 46th over, having gone for 26 off his first nine overs. Afghanistan needed 38 from 24. Haq came around the wicket to Shenwari for the first time in the match.
The first ball was deposited over cow corner for six.
The second ball was a wide.
The third ball was mistimed for six over square leg.
The fourth ball was defended for no runs.
That is the difference with Shenwari. Most other Afghan batsmen would've tried another boundary. You cannot imagine Shahzad blocking a ball after hitting two sixes.
The fifth ball went for another six over mid wicket.
Haq came over the wicket.
The sixth ball was caught at deep mid wicket as Shenwari went for another six. He was on 96.
Shenwari seemed like his teammates again. After he walked of the field, he threw his bat down, and sat down with his helmet on, watching the game, distraught at getting out. Had he lost his team the game? Had that temporary rush of blood undone his 176 minutes at the crease?
Shenwari remained perched over the game until the end, hoping that two bowlers with batting averages of five could get his team home.
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In the end, he won his team the game. Shapoor Zadran knocked a four from Iain Wardlaw off the third ball of the final over. Shapoor and Hassan sprinted towards the boundary, arms in the air, overjoyed at their victory.
All the photos that will be in the papers tomorrow, and in the history books detailing Afghanistan's first World Cup victory, will be of Shapoor with his arms aloft.
There won't be many of Shenwari. He wasn't there at the end. He didn't make a century. He didn't even bowl. But he did everything needed, and was the foundation of the innings.
He fought and scrapped and stayed in the contest, fighting even when he was on his haunches. He was a warrior.
But he was also cool and calm. When he scored boundaries, they were majestic. He was in control. You could believe that he would do the seemingly impossible. He was a king.
Were he only a stodgy batsman, he would not bowl leg spin. Using the wrist to spin the ball is more art than science.
But were he only an okay leg-spinner, he would not grind. He would not apply himself to every ball, waiting for the opportunity to put the team on his back.
He is something greater than that. He may even be something great.
So tonight, as the people of Afghanistan revel in their team's victory, we can imagine that they, at least, will be celebrating the heroics of the man who is now their greatest ever run scorer.
He is Samiullah Shenwari, warrior and king.
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