The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Tuesday named a 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup. Mohammad Nabi will lead the side at the continental tournament, while Najibullah Zadran will play as his deputy. Star spinner Rashid Khan has also been included in the squad. Apart from 17 main players, three more players will travel with the team to the UAE as reserves.
From the 16 players who are part of the Afghanistan Squad for the ongoing Ireland T20I Series, Samiullah Shinwari has replaced Sharafuddin Ashraf, who is now part of the reserve players for the event, along with Qais Ahmad and Nijat Masoud. In addition, the left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad, who was replaced by Mujeeb Ur Rahman for the Ireland series, has also found his way to the side.
Afghanistan Squad for ACC T20 Asia Cup - Mohammad Nabi (C), Najibullah Zadran (VC), Afsar Zazai (WK), Azmatullah Omarzai, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Karim Janat, Mujib ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Naveen ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Rashid Khan and Samiullah Shinwari. Nijat Masoud, Qais Ahmad, and Sharafuddin Ashraf are the three players, who are part of the team as reserves.
Chief selector Noor Malikzai spoke on the squad announcement and said that the board has picked the best available players and hoped for them to come good at the continental tournament.
“The Asia Cup is an important event for us and, as such, we have picked our best available players for the event. Samiullah Shinwari has been added to the side for the Asia Cup. He is in very good form and can give further impetus to the batting department, which already boasts Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi. Shinwari has not played any international match since March 2020, but he has done well in the recently held Shpageeza Cricket League 2022 and demonstrated that he is a good option to strengthen our middle order," said Malikzai.
Notably, Afghanistan have been placed in Group B alongside Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. They will open their campaign against Sri Lanka on 27 August.
Afghanistan's Group Stage fixtures
27 August – Afghanistan v Sri Lanka, Dubai (DSC)
30 August – Afghanistan v Bangladesh, Sharjah