Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman lead the bowling unit, with Hashmatullah Shahidi continuing to be in the lead. Gulbadin Naib, an all-rounder, and left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad, an uncapped player, have been added to Afghanistan’s 18-man team for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka that begins in Kandy later this month.
The remaining members of the team are the same as those that competed in Afghanistan’s most recent ODI series, which they won 3-0 against Zimbabwe in early June.
Although Noor, 18, hasn’t yet played in an ODI, he has established a solid name in several T20 competitions across the world. He recently played for Afghanistan’s 2022 Asia Cup side and recorded statistics of 4 for 10 in his T20I debut, which are joint-best debut numbers in a T20I involving two Full-Member nations. Despite not being selected for the T20 World Cup in Australia, he has often been with the team despite not always seeing action.
While Hazratullah Zazai was injured, the former ODI skipper Naib was inserted into Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup squad in the middle of the tournament. Naib’s most recent 50-over match was against Bangladesh in February.
The rest of the team is composed as predicted, with Hashmatullah Shahidi serving as the team’s captain. Along with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, and Ibrahim Zadran, he is anticipated to serve as the pivot of the top order. The team also includes Mohammad Nabi, who recently resigned as the T20 captain following Afghanistan’s disastrous World Cup campaign in which they failed to win a single match. The bowling group’s leaders are Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan.
Young players were selected by the selectors for the series, which is encouraging for us as we approach the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019. According to Naseeb Khan, the CEO of the ACB, in a press release, “The series is crucial for us in terms of our qualifying for the major event next year. I am certain the squad carries enough strength to perform well when they go to the field.
The three-game ODI Super League series will get underway on November 25. The locations of all three contests are Kandy. With 10 victories from 12 games, Afghanistan is now sixth in the Super League points standings.
Full squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, Ibrahim Zadran, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Noor Ahmad, Rashid Khan, Riaz Hassan, Shahidullah Kamal, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zia-ur-Rehman
