ACB names 16-man squad for Ireland series

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced a 16-member squad for the One-Day International (ODI) series against Ireland.

Asghar Afghan, Rahmat Shah, Naveen-ul-Haq, Hashmat Shahidi, Yamin Ahmadzai, Osman Ghani, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah Gurboz, Syed Ahmad Sherzad, Najib Zadran, Jawed Ahmadi, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbudin Naib, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Sharafuddin Ashraf are members of the team.

The three-match series is scheduled to be played on in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on January 18, 21 and 23.

The Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, adopted by Afghanistan as their home ground, will host all the three matches.

With the visiting Ireland team having already landed Abu Dhabi two days ago, the Afghan cricketers are still awaiting UAE visas.

Coming ahead of the World Cup Super League, the series is important for both sides. It will have an impact on their chances of making it to the 2023 World Cup.

Raees Ahmadzai, ACB’s director of cricket, said in an interview: ”We could not have a good preparation for the last few days because it is very cold.”

I a chat with Cricbuzz, he said: “We tried our best to select the best available squad. The side is very balanced as we have included some youngster along with the seniors.”

mud