The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced Afghanistan’s 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 which will be played in India from October 5 onwards. Afghanistan recently played in the Asia Cup 2023.
Afghanistan will be playing in its third World Cup tournament and has never made it into the knockout stages. They made their World Cup debut in the 2015 edition in Australia and New Zealand.
On October 7, Afghanistan will launch its campaign against Bangladesh in an enthralling contest set to take place in Dharamsala. One of the most eagerly awaited matches for Afghanistan will take place against the host nation, India, on October 11 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Afghanistan will next face England on October 14, also in Delhi, and then will travel to Chennai to face off against New Zealand on October 18 and Pakistan on October 23.
Their next matches will be against Sri Lanka and the Netherlands on October 30 in Pune and November 3 in Lucknow respectively.
Afghanistan will then play Australia on November 7 in Mumbai and their last league stage match will be versus South Africa in Ahmedabad on November 10.
Gulbadin Naib Missed Out; Naveen Ul Haq Surprise Inclusion
The squad will be led by Hashmatullah Shahidi and features four changes from the squad that played in the Asia Cup.
One surprise omission from the main squad is that of Gulbadin Naib who misses out despite a good showing in the ongoing Asia Cup. The squad comprises of good blend of youth and experience.
The other players who missed out are Karim Janat, Sharafuddin Ashraf, and Suliman Safi.
The batting unit comprises Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, and Mohammad Nabi. There are two wicketkeepers named Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ikram Alikhil. The spin department will be led by Rashid Khan and comprises Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad.
One of the surprise inclusion is that of Naveen Ul Haq, who hasn’t played any 50-over List A match since 2021 and he will lead the pace attack with Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Afghanistan World Cup squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq.
Reserve players- Gulbadin Naib, Sharafudin Ashraf, Farid Ahmad Malik
World Cup Bound AfghanAtalan Squad 🚨
Presenting before you the AfghanAtalan squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. 🤩#AfghanAtalan | #CWC23 | #WarzaMaidanGata pic.twitter.com/r0SGg3KV8v
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) September 13, 2023