The selection committee of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has officially announced the 18-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against the UAE. The series will consist of three T20Is, commencing on Friday, December 29, with the third T20I set to kick off on January 2.
The revelation of the squad for the three-match series prompted many fans to observe the absence of star all-rounder Rashid Khan, who is currently recuperating from a recent back surgery. With Rashid unavailable, opening batter Ibrahim Zadran has been named as the captain for the upcoming three-game series.
Fazal Haq Farooqi and Naveen Ul Haq have been included in the squad, despite recent sanctions against them. The team enters the series after their most successful performance in the ODI World Cup 2023. Although they didn’t advance to the knockout stages, the team delivered outstanding performances and caused several upsets during the prestigious event.
After this series against UAE, the team is scheduled to face the Indian team in a T20I series in January 2024. The team is optimistic about the potential return of Rashid Khan to the squad for the encounter against the Men in Blue.
Full squad:
Ibrahim Zadran (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Darwish Rasooli, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmaullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem and Qais Ahmad.
Reserves: Rashid Khan, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Ikram Alikhil, and Gulbadin Naib have been included in the squad as reserves.
After this series against UAE, the team is scheduled to face the Indian team in a T20I series in January 2024. The team is optimistic about the potential return of Rashid Khan to the squad for the encounter against the Men in Blue.
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