The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) have announced the squad for the two-T20I series against Bangladesh which will begin from July 14 onwards with Rashid Khan as captain.
Notably, the two T20Is will be played on July 14 and 16 with both matches to be hosted by the Sylhet District Stadium, Sylhet. Before these two matches, Afghanistan and Bangladesh will play three ODIs as well on July 5, 8, and 11, with Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram hosting all three matches.
The two teams already played a one-off Test match, which Bangladesh won by a record margin of 546 runs, the third-highest victory by a margin of runs ever in Test cricket.
Then the two teams took a break for the month of Ramadan and will now meet again in July. Afghanistan had already announced the squad for the three ODIs, which saw the return of ace spinner Rashid Khan, who had missed the one-off Test due to lower back problems.
Zia Akbar, Izharulhaq Naveed, Wafadar Momand, Abdur Rahman, and Saleem Shafi were the uncapped cricketers in the squad that also saw the return of Shahidullah Kamal and Sayeed Ahmad Shirzad.
Afghanistan squad for Bangladesh ODIs: Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Shahidullah, Zia-ur-Rehman, Wafadar Momand, Mohammad Saleem, Sayed Shirzad
Afghanistan backup reserve: Karim Janat, Zubaid Akbari, Qais Ahmad, Ihsanullah Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Naveen-ul-Haq, Farid Malik, Darwish Rasooli, Ishaq Rahimi
Rashid Khan To Captain Afghanistan Side In T20Is Against Bangladesh; Mohammad Shahzad Returns
On July 2, 2023, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced the squad for the two-T20I series against Bangladesh which will begin from July 14 onwards. Rashid Khan has been named the captain of the side and most of the squad remains the same as the one which defeated Pakistan in Sharjah.
One big inclusion in the side is the return of keeper-opener Mohammad Shahzad. Shahzad had last played a T20I for Afghanistan in 2021 and an ODI in 2019. Thus far in 70 T20Is, Shahzad has 2015 runs with one century and 12 fifties to his name with a strike rate of 133.62.
The likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, and Ibrahim Zadran have been named in the batting department. Mohammad Nabi along with Najibullah Zadran and Karim Janat have too found themselves in the team.
There are several well-known bowlers in the team, including Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmed, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, and Fazalhaq Farooqi. The Afghanistan squad has been playing well lately, so this will be a series to keep an eye on.
Afghanistan’s squad for the two-T20I series against Bangladesh: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Shahzad, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Sediq Altal, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Wafadar Momand, Farid Ahmad Malik, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman
? SQUAD ALERT ?
Here’s Afghanistan Squad for the @BCBtigers T20Is, scheduled for July 14-16 in Sylhet. ? #AfghanAtalan | #BANvAFG2023 | #XBull pic.twitter.com/pZcd6vCYDe
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) July 2, 2023