ICC Men’s T20 Asia Cup: Rashid Khan to lead Afghanistan squad

Sharjah: Afghanistan’s T20I squad, spearheaded by Rashid Khan and bolstered by the returns of Ibrahim Zadran and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, is set to take on Pakistan and UAE in a tri-series starting Friday in Sharjah.

The tournament offers the team critical match practice and a chance to gather insights on their Asia Cup opponents ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 Asia Cup, which begins in the UAE on September 9.

The 17-member squad largely mirrors Afghanistan’s Asia Cup roster, with Naveen-ul-Haq absent. In his place, 22-year-old pacer Abdollah Ahmadzai has been named. Ahmadzai, who has taken 14 wickets in 10 T20 matches, is yet to make his international debut and is among the reserves for the Asia Cup.

A key development for the tri-series is the potential T20I debut of mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar, who joins an already formidable spin unit consisting of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Noor Ahmad. With this combination, Afghanistan aims to leverage their spin strength on the Sharjah pitches.

Afghanistan squad for UAE tri-series: Rashid Khan (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi (IANS)

Also Read: JK Barooah U-19 Inter-District Cricket: Guwahati Storm into final

Also Watch: