Najibullah Zadran, the ace batter from Afghanistan, will miss out on the upcoming 3-match ODI series against Pakistan due to a knee injury. The series will begin on August 22, 2023 and will be played in Sri Lanka as a precursor for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 tournament.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are set to lock horns in a three-match ODI series starting today. The ODI series takes place in Sri Lanka. After the opening game on August 22, the 2nd and 3rd ODI takes place on August 24 and 26 respectively.
AFG vs. PAK Both countries will benefit from the ODI series as ideal practice for the Asia Cup in 2023. Co-hosting the Asia Cup in 2023, Sri Lanka will see many matches, including the championship game.
The bilateral ODI series will end shortly after Afghanistan and Pakistan play in the 2023 Asia Cup. Afghanistan is a participant in Group B of the competition, while Pakistan is a member of Group A.
Najibullah Zadran Out Of Pakistan Odis Due To Knee Injury; Shahid Kamal Named Replacement
Najibullah Zadran is a highly experienced ODI player for Afghanistan. The left-handed batsman has played 88 ODI games for Afghanistan so far. He has mustered 2013 runs at an average of 30+. He has also shattered 1 century and 15 half-centuries in ODIs.
This comes as a huge blow for Afghanistan as Zadran is a huge part of their batting might and has been replaced by Shahid Kamal. Kamal is a left-handed batsman who has played 1 Test and 1 ODI for Afghanistan so far. He scored 1 run in the ODI game he played.
Since he is an all-rounder, Shahid Kamal also bowls left-arm off-spin.
Updated Afghanistan squad for Pakistan ODIs: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ikram Alikhil, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Shahid Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Wafadar Momand