Afghanistan name T20I series squad against UAE; Nabi left out

KABUL: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Wednesday announced the 18-player squad for the three-match T20I series against the United Arab Emirates. The three 20I matches will take place on February 16, 18, and 19 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Rashid Khan will lead the Afghanistan squad for the three-match T20I series against UAE. Mohammad Nabi, who stepped down from captaincy after the T20 World Cup, has been left out.

In addition to Nabi, the absences include T20 world champion Qais Ahmad, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Saleem, and Usman Ghani. Rashid, Qais, and Farooqi will all return to the international team after playing in franchise leagues around the world.

Zahir Khan and Rahmat Shah, both regulars in the ODI side, have been named to the T20I squad with the prospect of making their debuts. Afsar Zazai, Noor Ahmad, and Nijat Masood, all of whom have played less than five T20Is return to the squad. Sharafuddin Ashraf, who was a member of the T20 World Cup reserves, has also been called up to the squad.

“We don’t take any team lightly and have always tended to completely prepare the squad for any event. The team has been in the UAE for around 10 days as it was getting ready for the series. Playing UAE in their own conditions is not an easy task because they are a good team with some excellent cricketers, but we are hoping that AfghanAtalan will do well and rise to the occasion,” he continued,” the ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf.

The T20I series is being played in accordance with the mutual cooperation agreement that was recently signed between Afghanistan and the Emirates Cricket Boards. Based on the agreement, Afghanistan will play a series of three T20I matches with the UAE on an annual basis.

This will be Afghanistan’s first international assignment in 2023 and is considered a crucial preparation for a busy upcoming season, which includes several bilateral commitments and major events such as the ACC Asia Cup in September and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in October.

Afghanistan squad: Rashid Khan (Capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Afsar Zazai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Karim Janat, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Naveen-ul-Haq, Nijat Masood, Noor Ahmad, Rahmat Shah, Sharafuddin Ashraf and Zahir Khan.