Who is Antum Naqvi? Know more about Zimbabwe's new addition with roots in Pakistan for T20Is vs India

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) recently announced a 17-member squad that will take on India in a five-match home T20I series starting July 6 in Harare. Following Zimbabwe's failure to qualify for the recently concluded 2024 T20 World Cup, the board has picked a young squad, with Antum Naqvi as one of the notables.

There is no place for veterans like Ryan Burl, Joylord Gumbie, Craig Ervine and Sean Williams in the Sikandar Raza-led team. Naqvi has shown immense potential in the domestic circuit which has forced the management to consider him as a crucial factor in the upcoming series. However, it is not guaranteed that the youngster will be able to play as his citizenship is still not accepted.

Will the Pakistani-origin be Zimbabwe's X factor against India?

The 25-year-old Antum Naqvi was born to Pakistani parents in the European City of Brussels, Belgium. His family later moved to Australia when Naqvi was four years old. The youngster then relocated to Africa in 2023 on the advice of former Zimbabwe cricket Solomon Mire.

Naqvi has always been excited to represent Zimbabwe at the highest level and has applied for naturalisation. Now he has received his maiden call-up to the national team and aims to start his international career against a top-class opponent.

A right-handed batter, who can also bowl handy off-spin deliveries, Naqvi grabbed the attention of Zimbabwe cricket with his record-breaking performance for Mid West Rhinos in the Logan Cup. He became the first player to score a triple-century for any Zimbabwe team in representative cricket.

Also Read: BCCI announces replacement for Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal for upcoming Zimbabwe tour

Notably, he also captained Rhinos in just his second year in domestic cricket in Zimbabwe. The top-order batter boasts a strike rate of 146.80 in seven T20 matches. In 2023, he played for the Zimbabwe Under-25 side in a series against Uganda.

Another interesting fact about the young man is that he is a qualified commercial pilot. Graduated from Sydney’s The Hills Sports High School, Naqvi attended Hartwig Flight School to obtain his pilot’s license.