Alishan Sharafu

Alishan Sharafu is a cricketer who plays for the United Arab Emirates national cricket team and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the International League T20.

Early life and education

Alishan Sharafu was born on 10 January 2003 in Kanhangad, Kerala, India. He spent his early life in the UAE. 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.
Sharafu holds a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity.

Career

Sharafu represented the UAE at the Under-16 and Under-19 levels, beginning at age 15.
In 2020, Sharafu was named in the United Arab Emirates squad for the 2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. In their plate semi-final match against Nigeria, Sharafu scored an unbeaten 59 runs and was named the man of the match. He made his Twenty20 International debut on 23 February 2020, against Iran, in the 2020 ACC Western Region T20 tournament.
In December 2020, Sharafu was one of ten cricketers to be awarded a year-long part-time contract by the Emirates Cricket Board. In January 2021, he was named in the UAE's One Day International squad to play against Ireland. He made his ODI debut against Ireland, on 8 January 2021. However, the following day he tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in the next ODI match being rescheduled.
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.
In 2024, Sharafu joined the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders after being identified at a trial and played in the ILT20.