The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), on Tuesday (May 29), announced a 16-member squad for the historic one-off Test against India, starting on June 14 in Bengaluru.
Asghar Stanikzai has been named as the skipper and the squad comprises five spinners – Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Zahir Khan and left-arm spinner Hamza Hotak – who incidentally emerged as the leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded first-class competition.
Rashid and Mujeeb had fruitful IPL 2018 campaigns playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab respectively. The former picked up 21 wickets in 17 matches that he featured in and was also the architect behind SRH’s road to the final. The latter too shone brightly with the ball, grabbing 14 wickets in 11 matches before a hand injury he sustained in a game against KKR ruled him out of the remaining matches. Chinaman bowler, Zahir Khan, was also a part of the Rajasthan Royals franchise. However, his campaign never took off, as a shoulder injury he suffered in a practice game forced him out of the tournament.
Another notable inclusion in the squad has been that of the 18-year-old pace sensation Wafadar Momand. In Dawlat Zadran’s absence (knee injury), the selectors went for the promising pacer, Wafadar. Syed Sherzad and Yamin Ahmadzai are the other main pacers in the set-up. Mohammad Shahzad will don the gloves, with Afsar Zazai being included as the back-up wicketkeeper. The likes of Rahmat Shah, Stanikzai and the experienced all-rounder Nabi will shoulder the responsibility in the batting department.
The squad for the three T20Is against Bangladesh, beginning on June 3rd in Dehradun, was also announced. Two new faces in Najib Tarakai, who last played for Afghanistan against Ireland in 2017 and Darwish Rasooli – the leading run-scorer (1073 runs in eight matches) in the Ahmad Shah Abdali four-day tournament, find a place in the squad. Rasooli also played a vital role for Afghanistan in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in January, scoring two crucial fifties against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Squad for the One-off Test against India: Asghar Stanikzai (c), Mohammad Shahzad, Javed Ahmadi, Ihsanullah Jannat, Rahmat Shah, Nasir Jamal, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Zahir Khan, Hamza Hotak, Syed Ahmad Sherzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Wafadar Momand, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman
Squad for T20Is against Bangladesh: Asghar Stanikzai (c), Mohammad Shahzad, Najeebullah Tarakai, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Nabi , Gulbadin Naib, Karim Jannat, Rashid Khan, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Shapoor Zadran, Aftab Alam
, on Tuesday (May 29), announced a 16-member squad for the historic one-off Test against India, starting on June 14 in Bengaluru.){kind=link}