- Janat, Zadran, and Ashraf return.
- Zadran to boost batting.
- Farooqi leads pace attack.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has unveiled a 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, scheduled to take place in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This selection process was carefully deliberated upon, resulting in the exclusion of certain players who participated in the recent three-match ODI series against Pakistan.
Fareed Ahmad, Azmatullah Omarzai, Shahidullah Kamal, and Wafadar Momand have been omitted from the Asian event roster. Conversely, individuals such as Karim Janat, Najibullah Zadran, and Sharafuddin Ashraf are making their returns to the squad.
Karim Janat, despite a seven-year international career, has featured in just one ODI, which occurred in 2016 against Zimbabwe in Harare. His focus has primarily been on the T20 format, with 49 T20Is under his belt.
Najibullah Zadran missed out on the Pakistan series due to injury. His comeback is expected to provide a much-needed boost to Afghanistan’s batting lineup, which struggled in the first and third ODIs against Pakistan.
The opening partnership will feature Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, while the middle overs will see Mohammad Nabi and Riaz Hassan taking charge.
As customary, Afghanistan boasts a formidable spin contingent including Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Mohammad Nabi, and Noor Ahmad, who will play a crucial role with the ball.
The pace attack will be led by Fazalhaq Farooqi, supported by Karim Janat, Abdul Rehman, and Mohammad Saleem.
Squad
Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Rashid Khan, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Abdul Rahman, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Suliman Safi, Fazalhaq Farooqi
It’s important to highlight that Afghanistan’s performance against Pakistan in the recent series was quite disappointing, with them facing defeats in all three ODIs.
In the initial match, they suffered a significant setback, enduring a massive 142-run loss. Their batting order crumbled, managing to reach only 59 runs while chasing Pakistan’s total of 201.
The second ODI witnessed a narrow contest, with Afghanistan losing by just one wicket despite posting a score of 301 runs.
In the third ODI, the trend of one-sided matches continued as Afghanistan faced another defeat, this time by a margin of 59 runs.
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