Afghanistan bench several high-profile cricketers for ODI, T20I series vs Bangladesh
The Afghanistan Cricket Board has unveiled its ODI and T20I squads for the upcoming white-ball series against Bangladesh in the UAE, featuring several notable exclusions and fresh faces. Left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi, along with seasoned all-rounders Gulbadin Naib and Karim Janat, have been left out, paving the way for younger talents.
Uncapped 20-year-old seamer Bashir Ahmad has earned a call-up in both formats as a like-for-like replacement for Farooqi. In domestic cricket, Bashir has shown promise with 12 wickets in 14 T20s at an economy of 9.06. Also making his debut appearance is 18-year-old batter Wafiullah Tarakhil, selected for the T20Is following an impressive Shpageeza League campaign, where he was the third-highest run-scorer.
Pacer Abdullah Ahmadzai returns to the T20I squad, having previously been part of the Asia Cup reserves. AM Ghazanfar, the mystery spinner, will feature in the ODI squad but is listed as a reserve for the T20Is. He joins Rahmat Shah among the backup options.
Despite some senior omissions, Afghanistan’s spin attack remains formidable with Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, and Mohammad Nabi leading the charge. In ODIs, Hashmatullah Shahidi continues as captain.
Notably, the series begins with three T20Is in Sharjah on October 2, 3, and 5, followed by three ODIs in Abu Dhabi from October 8 to 14. This tour completes the postponed 2024 series, which was originally set as an all-format contest but was revised due to scheduling conflicts.
Afghanistan will aim to bounce back from their narrow loss to Bangladesh in the Asia Cup, which ruled them out of the competition.
Afghanistan T20I squad vs Bangladesh
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 ODI squad vs Bangladesh
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
