Ayan is a top-order batting all-rounder and one of the most decorated young cricketers to come through the West Yorkshire pathway. A right-handed top-order batsman and right-arm off-spinner, he has spent the best part of a decade in county age-group cricket and arrives with a CV few teenagers anywhere can match, including a Man-of-the-Match performance in the MCC National Championship Final at Lord's.
At the top of the order, Ayan is a prolific run-scorer. He has recorded multiple 1,000-run seasons and collected numerous Top Run Scorer awards, the mark of a batsman who doesn't just get starts, but goes on to dominate. He pairs a sound technique with the temperament to bat long and the consistency to do it year after year, qualities that have kept him in representative cricket without a break from Under-9 right through to Under-18.
With the ball, Ayan is a genuine second weapon rather than an occasional option. A right-arm off-spinner, he has claimed multiple Top Wicket Taker awards alongside his run-scoring, and is the youngest player to both score a century and take a five-wicket haul in the Bradford Cricket League - a rare all-round double that captures just how complete a cricketer he already is.
Ayan's pedigree is exceptional. He has progressed through club, district, regional and county cricket, representing Yorkshire CCC (U14), Derbyshire CCC (U16 Reserves) and, currently, Worcestershire CCC (U18), alongside MCC Bradford, West Yorkshire and the Bradford & District Taverners. He plays his club cricket for Woodlands CC, one of the most prestigious clubs in the Bradford Premier Cricket League. The crowning moment so far: winning the National MCC Championship and being named Man of the Match in the final at Lord's Cricket Ground - as big a stage as a young cricketer can perform on.
Off the field, Ayan is already giving back to the game. He works as an Assistant Junior Coach at Woodlands CC and supports one-to-one coaching sessions, developing players across a range of age groups, and is currently working towards his ECB Level 1 coaching qualification. He brings the same dedication to coaching that defines his own cricket.
Still only 18 and improving every season, Ayan Zafar is a top-order batting all-rounder with county pedigree, a proven record at the highest junior levels and big-match temperament already tested at high levels. A genuinely exciting young talent for any side looking to invest in quality.
