Afghanistan announce squad for T20I series against India

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has unveiled a 19-member squad for three-match T20I series against Indian.

The three matches will be played between Afghanistan and India on January 11^th, 14^th and 17^th in Mohali, Indore, and Bengaluru stadiums, ACB wrote on its Facebook page.

Ibrahim Zadran, the opening batter, will continue to lead the national side, building on the momentum of their recent 2-1 series victory against the United Arab Emirate (UAE) in Sharjah.

Squad:

Ibrahim Zadran (Skipper), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmaullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem, Qais Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan.

Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s regular T20I Captain, has been included in the squad but might not feature in any game as he recovers from the back surgery he recently underwent.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who was not part of the recently held three-match T20I series against UAE, comes back to the squad to face India. Ikram Alikhil, who was part of the reserves against the UAE, has been promoted to the main squad as the backup wicket-keeper batter.

ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf said: “We are delighted to be embarking on our maiden tour to India for a three-match series. India is the top-ranked side in the world and it’s very pleasing to witness AfghanAtalan competing in a three-match T20I against them.

"We believe that AfghanAtalan are no longer underdogs & have excelled well in the recent past and we look forward to a highly competitive series against India.”

kk/sa