Afghanistan names white ball squad

Brandon Moyo, brandonmalvin9@gmail.com
THE Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has named its white-ball squad for its tour of Zimbabwe, starting tomorrow at Harare Sports Club.
Zimbabwe and Afghanistan will face off in three one-day internationals (ODIs) and three T20 Internationals (T20Is).

Afterwards, the teams will move to Bulawayo for two Test matches, starting on December 26 at Queens Sports Club.
Squads for both the T20Is and the ODIs include several seasoned campaigners such as Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, and Fazal Haq Farooqi.
Promising young left-handed top-order batter Zubaid Akbari has earned his maiden call-up to the T20I squad. Akbari put in some stellar performances during the domestic season and was also a key contributor to Afghanistan’s success at the Emerging Asia Cup.

Darwish Rasooli returns to the T20I side following an impressive domestic season.
He also captained the Afghanistan team to their first title at the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Asia Cup in Oman earlier this year.
Afghanistan will continue to miss the services of prolific top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran, who is still recovering from ankle surgery he underwent in England.

However, frontline spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has fully recovered from his right phalanx sprain and has been added to the side for the T20I and ODI formats.
In a statement, ACB CEO Naseeb Khan expressed excitement about the tour, highlighting the longstanding rivalry and enjoyable encounters between the teams in Zimbabwe.
Khan also expressed confidence in the ability of the selected white-ball squad.

“The calendar year 2024 has been both busy and successful for the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and the Afghanistan squad, with a packed schedule of home and away games and some remarkable achievements. As part of this action-packed year, the Afghanistan squad will be touring Zimbabwe for a full series across all formats, which we eagerly anticipate.
“We look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

“Afghanistan have a rich history of playing in Zimbabwe over the years and have performed exceptionally well there. Playing against Zimbabwe on their home soil is always challenging and brings immense joy. I believe the group of players selected for this series will rise to the occasion and make this tour a memorable one,” said Khan.
ACB interim chief selector Ahmad Shah said they were pleased to welcome Mujeeb Ur Rahman back to the national setup.

“It’s a great feeling to see our frontline spinner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, recover from his injury and be available for selection. He is an essential member of our squad, and we hope he continues to shine brightly for Afghanistan.
“Additionally, Zubaid Akbari and Darwish Rasooli have been consistent performers, not only in domestic cricket but also at the recently concluded ACC Emerging Teams Cup, where Afghanistan claimed the title.
“We have included both players in the T20I squad and wish them the very best for the upcoming series,” he said.

The first T20I is on today followed by the second on December 13 and December 14.
The first ODI is scheduled for December 17, with the second and third ODIs on December 19 and 21.
The historic Test series between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan will see Zimbabwe hosting its first Boxing Day Test in 28 years. Zimbabwe will also host its inaugural New Year’s Day Test match at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
The first Test will run from December 26-30, followed by the second from January 2-6.