Alishan Sharafu

Last updated

Alishan Sharafu
Personal information
Full name
Alishan Sharafu
Born (2003-01-10) 10 January 2003 (age 23)
Kerala, India
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm fast-medium
RoleBatting all-rounder
International information
National side
ODI debut(cap  88)8 January 2021 v  Ireland
Last ODI5 November 2025 v  Nepal
T20I debut(cap  51)23 February 2020 v  Iran
Last T20I16 November 2025 v  Nepal
Career statistics
Competition ODI T20I LA T20
Matches28632897
Runs scored4331,6504332,299
Batting average 16.6533.0016.6529.47
100s/50s0/10/130/10/15
Top score5890* 5890*
Catches/stumpings 14/–28/–14/–40/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 1 January 2026

Alishan Sharafu (born 10 January 2003) is a cricketer who plays for the United Arab Emirates national cricket team and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the International League T20 (ILT20). [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Alishan Sharafu was born on 10 January 2003 in Kerala, India. He spent his early life in the UAE. [3] His interest in cricket began during childhood visits to Kerala, India, and India's win in the 2011 Cricket World Cup inspired him to play cricket as a professional. [3]

Sharafu holds a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity. [3]

Career

Sharafu represented the UAE at the Under-16 and Under-19 levels, beginning at age 15. [3]

In 2020, Sharafu was named in the United Arab Emirates squad for the 2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. [4] In their plate semi-final match against Nigeria, Sharafu scored an unbeaten 59 runs and was named the man of the match. [5] [6] He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut on 23 February 2020, against Iran, in the 2020 ACC Western Region T20 tournament. [7]

In December 2020, Sharafu was one of ten cricketers to be awarded a year-long part-time contract by the Emirates Cricket Board. [8] In January 2021, he was named in the UAE's One Day International (ODI) squad to play against Ireland. [9] [10] He made his ODI debut against Ireland, on 8 January 2021. [11] However, the following day he tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in the next ODI match being rescheduled. [12]

In January 2022, Sharafu was named as the captain of the UAE team for the 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies. [13]

In 2024, Sharafu joined the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders after being identified at a trial and played in the ILT20. [3]

In January 2026, Sharafu was named in UAE's squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup. [14]

References

  1. ↑ "Alishan Sharafu". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  2. ↑ "Alishan Sharafu aces every test to emerge as future star of UAE batting". The National. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Kishore, Shashank (14 September 2025). "Alishan Sharafu is learning from the best and using it to make UAE better".
  4. ↑ "ECB announce team to represent the UAE in ICC U19 CWC 2020". Emirates Cricket Board. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  5. ↑ "13th Place Play-off Semi-Final, Potchefstroom, Jan 30 2020, ICC Under-19 World Cup". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "Akhil Kumar, Nicholas Manohar dismantle Japan Under-19s". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  7. ↑ "1st Match, Group B, Al Amarat, Feb 23 2020, ACC Western Region T20". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  8. ↑ "Rameez Shahzad omitted from latest list of centrally contracted UAE cricketers". The National. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  9. ↑ "Emirates Cricket Board announce team to play Ireland in 4-ODI series". Emirates Cricket Board. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  10. ↑ "We felt like we gained a lot from the IPL, says UAE captain Ahmed Raza". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  11. ↑ "1st ODI, Abu Dhabi, Jan 8 2021, Ireland tour of United Arab Emirates". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  12. ↑ "Alishan Sharafu third UAE player to test positive for Covid-19". The National. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  13. ↑ "Emirates Cricket Board announce team to compete in ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2022". Emirates Cricket Board. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  14. ↑ "ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 – Muhammad Waseem to lead UAE's 15-member squad". International Cricket Council . 30 January 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
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