The ACB has named a 17-member squad for the ODI series against Ireland in Dubai.
Afghanistan Squad for Ireland ODIs
While senior spinners like Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are sidelined, three uncapped players have been brought into the squad.
Left-arm spin bowler Nangyal Kharoti, Right-arm offspinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar who featured for Bangladesh in the recently completed U-19 World Cup 2024 and right-arm pacer Bilal Sami have been named in the squad.
Rashid underwent back surgery on November 24, 2023, and has been rested until now. He made his last appearance in the World Cup match against South Africa in 2023.
He missed the T20I series against India and missed the whole tour against Sri Lanka. He also Withdrawn from PSL 2024 and missed the BBL 2023/24 season.
On the other hand, Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been ruled out as he is recovering from a right Phalanx sprain he sustained during the ODI series on the Afghanistan tour of Sri Lanka 2024.
“Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman continue to recover from their respective injuries and are unavailable for selection. However, we have included some of the top-performing youngsters in Nangyal Kharoti and Bilal Sami.”
“Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar is a very talented cricketer and has demonstrated excellent skills during the U19 World Cup. He will provide cover for Mujeeb Ur Rahman,” said ACB chief selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil.
Afghanistan and Ireland played a one-off test starting on February 28 at Tolerance Oval where Ireland won the match by 6 wickets.
They have faced each other about 30 times in ODI format out of which Afghanistan has won 16 times, while Ireland won on 13 occasions.
Their last meeting came from the IRE vs AFG in UAE during the year 2021 where Afghanistan won the match by 36 runs.
Afghanistan will be looking forward to seeking victory in the ODI series. The first ODI match will be played on March 07 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah.
Afghanistan squad for Ireland ODI
Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Nangyal Kharoti, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Bilal Sami, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.
