Afghanistan have made a few changes for their upcoming one-day and T20 matches against Bangladesh in the UAE. Left-arm fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi and all-rounders Gulbadin Naib and Karim Janat are not part of any squad. In their place, selectors have brought in some young players to refresh the team.
“After a long six-month break from international cricket following the ICC Champions Trophy, we are now entering a packed season with many T20I games scheduled,” ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said in a statement. “This provides the team with an incredible opportunity to prepare for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next year.”
“The performances in the Asia Cup 2025 were not as expected, but ups and downs are part of the game. As always, we remain hopeful that AfghanAtalan will bounce back strongly and make our nation proud in the upcoming events,”he added. Afghans failed to qualify for the ‘Super 4’ stage of the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 as they finished with just two points in three games in Group B.
Among the new players, 20-year-old left-arm seamer Bashir Ahmad will take the spot of Farooqi. Bashir is an uncapped international player who has already played 14 T20 matches, where he took 12 wickets with an economy rate of 9.06. Youngster Wafiullah Tarakhil, who was the third-highest run scorer in the recent Shpageeza Cricket League, also joins the T20 side. Fast bowler Abdullah Ahmadzai has also returned to the main T20 squad.
Mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar has been added to the ODI squad, but he is only a reserve player for the T20Is. Afghanistan already have plenty of spin options with captain Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi.
Afghanistan will begin their cricket season with T20 matches in Sharjah on October 2, 3, and 5.
Afghanistan squad for T20I
Rashid Khan (capt), Ibrahim Zadran (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohamamad Ishaq (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Bashir Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Abdullah Ahmadzai.
Reserves: AM Ghazanfar and Rahmat Shah
Afghanistan squad for ODI
Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharote, AM Ghazanfar, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem Safi
Reserves: Bilal Sami and Faridoon Dawoodzai
For latest sports updates: Follow RevSportz