The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), on Sunday, announced that Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead the national side in its maiden ICC Men’s Champions Trophy campaign which is scheduled to begin on February 19.
Top-order batter, Ibrahim Zadran, who was away from action due to an ankle injury, has returned to the squad. However, Mujeeb Ur Rahman misses out on the selection, as AM Ghazanfar, a similar mystery spinner, has made the cut.
The bowling unit is strengthened by the presence of star tweaker Rashid Khan alongside all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, and pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi.
The squad also includes Sediqullah Atal, who recently had an impressive performance in the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, earning the Player of the Series title by scoring a total of 156 runs, including a century and a half-century in two games.
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Afghanistan will come into the tournament on the back of impressive displays at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2023 and last year’s Men’s T20 World Cup, where it finished as a semifinalist.
Afghanistan squad:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.
Reserves:
Darwish Rasooli, Nangyal Kharoti and Bilal Sami