Afghanistan Announce Squads For Zimbabwe Tour

Afghanistan has unveiled its ODI and T20I squads for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe, scheduled from December 9 to 19. The teams will face Zimbabwe in three ODIs and three T20Is during this series.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman Back in Action

Off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who has been sidelined since June due to a right phalanx sprain, has made a full recovery. The 23-year-old last represented Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup earlier this year and is now set to feature in both squads for the Zimbabwe series.

New Faces and Returns in T20I Squad

Zubaid Akbari, a left-handed batter, has received his first call-up to the T20I team. Meanwhile, Darwish Rasooli, another promising batter, returns to the squad after his last T20I appearance in January. Both players were pivotal in Afghanistan’s victory at the ACC Emerging Teams Cup recently.

Ibrahim Zadran Still Recovering

However, Afghanistan will be without top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran, who is recovering from ankle surgery performed in England. His absence will continue to be felt as the team heads into the series.

Selectors’ Confidence

Ahmad Shah, the interim chief selector for the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), expressed optimism about the squads. He shared his joy over Mujeeb’s recovery, emphasizing his importance to the team. Shah also highlighted the consistent performances of Akbari and Rasooli in domestic matches, which earned them their spots in the T20I squad.

Star Players Included

Key names like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Fazalhaq Farooqi have been included in both squads. However, young talents Noor Ahmad and Naveen Ul Haq will only feature in the T20I team.

Test Matches to Follow

After the white-ball series, Afghanistan will play two Test matches against Zimbabwe, starting on December 26. In their last white-ball visit to Zimbabwe in 2022, Afghanistan dominated, securing 3-0 victories in both ODI and T20I series.

Full Squads for the Zimbabwe Tour

ODI Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran, Farid Ahmad Malik.

T20I Squad: Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Darwish Rasooli, Zubaid Akbari, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq.

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