Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Tuesday announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to be staged in India and Sri Lanka, with star all-rounder Rashid Khan named captain.
The squad selected for the World Cup will also take part in Afghanistan’s T20I series against West Indies beginning on January 19.
All-rounder Gulbadin Naib and fast bowlers Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi have been recalled. Naveen had been sidelined due to a shoulder injury. Spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has also been included in the main squad, while A.M. Ghazanfar has been placed on the reserves list.
Commenting on the selection, ACB chief selector Ahmad Shah Sulemankhil said Gulbadin’s return had added strength to the team, describing him as a “big-match player”.
“We are pleased to have Naveen-ul-Haq back, which has improved the quality of our pace attack. It was a difficult decision to leave Ghazanfar out in order to accommodate Mujeeb,” he said.
Afghanistan have been drawn in Group D alongside New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
Rashid Khan’s side will open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Chennai on February 8.
Afghanistan Squad: Rashid Khan (captain), Noor Ahmad, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Sediqullah Atal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ishaq, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darwish Rasooli and Ibrahim Zadran
Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Zia-ur-Rahman Sharifi