A middle-order batsman, Asghar Stanikzai has a somewhat tuk-tuk-boom approach to batting, his determined presence at the crease occasionally punctuated with flashes of aggressive strokeplay. In Afghanistan's early forays into the top level of the international game his approach was at odds with that of many of his team-mates in the top order, who seemed to play a shot a ball, and Stanikzai's ability to occupy the crease was an important asset to the side.

He was with Afghanistan at their first major global tournament, the World T20 in 2010, and also played a vital role in their first win over a Test-playing nation, against Bangladesh in March 2014. In typical style, Stanikzai anchored the innings that day and nudged his way to 37 from 73 balls before he hit a boundary. But he then hit six fours and three sixes, one of which went out of the ground, in the last ten overs and shared in a match-winning 164-run partnership with Samiullah Shenwari. If he can replicate that sort of performance more frequently, Stanikzai has a very handy role to play as Afghanistan's middle-order glue.
Liam Brickhill