'Maybe I have something...' - the phenomenal rise of Noor Ahmad

Noor Ahmad lives life on the fast lane. Of late, it's been a blur of flights, visas, new teams and cricket grounds and hotels. Cricket has kept him so busy that his parents shifted from their hometown, Khost, to Kabul to be able to adjust to their superstar son's fly-in-fly-out life.

"A few years ago, who could have thought I would be here? With talent, hard work and family support, I'm here today," Noor tells ESPNcricinfo. And "here" for him is everywhere. From Chennai (IPL) to Dallas (MLC) to Manchester (Hundred) to Gqeberha (SA20), Noor has been living out of a suitcase.

Noor says he can count the days he has actually not spent on the field - either playing or at training - in the last six months. "CSK, MLC, Shpageeza, back to India for the UK visa, the Hundred," he ticks off the assignments.

And from the Hundred, he landed in Dubai to link up with the Afghanistan squad for a short preparatory camp. On Sunday night, he finished the tri-series with Pakistan and UAE in Sharjah, and after less than 48 hours, he will line up to play Hong Kong in the Asia Cup opener in Abu Dhabi.

Isn't he tired?

"I'm still young, the body can take it, no problems for me," he says with a smile. "Cricket is what I love. I can't stay without playing cricket. Yes, travel-wise, it's been a tough few months. I haven't got enough rest, but I'm still enjoying it. The body is feeling good."

Noor suddenly remembers he has missed something from the schedule he just went through. He clicks his fingers and adds with a laugh, "Actually, one week off after the IPL at home, no nets, no cricket. After the IPL, I got that time at home. But you see, I can't stay without cricket for more than one week. I started bowling again."

When he was younger - he is still only 20 - Noor says opportunities were hard-earned. "When my brother first took me to an academy, when I was 12, I remember standing in long lines, getting to bowl just one ball every ten minutes. Because there were so many bowlers. Most of them spinners."

Then came the moment that made him believe he might be special. Afghanistan batter Noor Ali Zadran happened to face him in one of these sessions and told him, "You are very good, keep going."

"That was the indicator for me, maybe I have something," Noor says. Slowly, more and more national players came to the camp, and Noor bowled to them all. "Some I even got them out," he says. "Then they all told me, 'Don't leave cricket, you have a bright future'. That motivated me so much."

The only problem was that Noor was also a bright student. "First in my class till I was there," he says. "Then I started to go to the academy, thanks to my brother who also loved cricket but couldn't take it up professionally.

"When I missed class for a few days, the teachers and the principal came to my dad and asked what had happened. They told him I had started playing cricket and should come back to the school as I had a good future. My dad agreed with them. It was hard for my brother to convince my father but he asked him for some time."

Today, Noor's father watches all his matches without fail. "They even installed a Dish TV connection so that they can watch all matches."

Barely a year into his cricket, Noor was captivated by Rashid Khan, himself a teenage sensation when he broke through. Noor first met him during an Under-16 camp in Kabul, introduced by coach and former captain Raees Ahmadzai.

"Rashid came to watch me bowl, and I think he was impressed," Noor says. These days, Rashid is a mentor, a sounding board. Schedules don't allow the two to catch up often, but there's an admiration the younger star has for the 26-year-old veteran.

"Whenever I have questions, or want to chat, or need to share with someone, Rashid is the first person for me to go to," Noor says. "I try not to think too much about bowling, but whenever I have something that I must share, I share with him."

Noor's eyes twinkle when asked about his maiden IPL season with Chennai Super Kings. "Getting Man of the Match in my first game was special," he says, "but playing alongside MS Dhoni was the real highlight." Could he elaborate?

"Of course. He keeps things very simple for everyone. You don't have to think too much. He just says, 'Assess the situation, do what is needed'. He had complete trust in what I wanted to do. No pressure. We just had to stick to our strengths."

Noor finished IPL 2025 as the second-highest wicket-taker; his 24 wickets in 14 games were only fewer than Prasidh Krishna's tally of 25 wickets in 15 games. The change in teams - he had earlier played for Gujarat Titans (GT) - worked wonders.

At GT, Noor bowled in tandem with Rashid. But, over the past two seasons, Noor has consistently outshone his celebrated compatriot, a sign of how quickly he has grown from Rashid's understudy to a match-winner in his own right. At CSK, he had the opportunity to be the main spinner, with R Ashwin in and out of the XII.

Noor's journey hasn't been without its fair share of setbacks. In 2021, an arm injury left him bowling through pain for nearly a year. His control wavered, he didn't feel confident bowling the wrong'un, and was often left frustrated.

"The fizz I get on the ball is natural," he explains. "When I was at my initial stages, I used to bowl a lot of googlies and ended up bowling less of the legspin. Then I had an arm injury in 2021. I struggled for a year. I could bowl but would always be in pain.

"That affected my legbreak, my control. It took me a year to recover. Again, I had to work on my legbreak because of the injury. But it's fine now. I think I have strengthened my arm so much now. Earlier, I used to save myself to be able to bowl with little pain. I was tired of being injured, I was like, why am I not getting better?"

It took him a year to fully recover. And since then, there's been no stopping him.

Afghanistan's rise as a cricket force has made him hungrier. "We were in the T20 World Cup semi-final last year. This year we should be in the Asia Cup final. That's the mindset," he says. But his ultimate dream is still ahead of him: "Winning a trophy for the country - World Cup, Champions Trophy, any world tournament. It's something that I'll remember."

Away from the game - which is rare - Noor enjoys watching Real Madrid and Manchester City play. He loves exploring the best Afghan restaurants in whichever city he is at. At the IPL, off days or travel-day nights were spent playing FIFA with Dewald Brewis and Matheesha Pathirana. As hectic as it may be, there's a rhythm to his life and he enjoys it.

But there is one thing he is waiting to tick off. He hasn't been back to his hometown in three years, but friends send him videos of crowded academies, which lifts him. "Academies are busier than before, many are coming up. I think they'll have a better chance to play," he says with hope. "I can't wait to go back. Hopefully soon."

For now, there's another tournament. Another trophy to chase. And Afghanistan's globe-trotting superstar is as ready as ever to take flight.