Afghanistan name squad for ODI series against South Africa

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Thursday announced a 17-member squad for the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series against South Africa.

The series is scheduled to be played from September 18 to 22 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to a ACB statement.

Afghanistan will be without top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran, who has been ruled out due to an ankle sprain.

Abdul Malik, a right-hand top-order batter who recently excelled in domestic List A competitions, has been called up as his replacement.

Additionally, Darwish Rasooli, who has seven T20I caps and has shown impressive form in recent domestic tournaments, has also been selected for the series.

Spin sensation Rashid Khan, who missed the previous ODI series against Ireland, has been included in the squad. However, Mujeeb Ur Rahman remains unavailable as he continues to recover from an injury.

Naseeb Khan, CEO of ACB, expressed excitement about the series, stating, “Hosting South Africa for the first time in our cricketing history is a significant milestone for Afghanistan Cricket. They are a top-quality side, and playing against them in an ODI series is something we are all eager to witness.”

Khan added, “Our team has delivered outstanding performances in ICC events over the past few years, and we are focused on making our team competitive in bilateral cricket as well.”

ACB Chief Selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil noted, “Mujeeb Ur Rahman is still recovering from his injury and will not be available for selection. Ibrahim Zadran will also miss the ODIs against South Africa due to his ankle injury. In his absence, we have included promising young players Abdul Malik and Darwish Rasooli. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, who has demonstrated excellent skills recently, will also join the squad to cover for Mujeeb Ur Rahman.”

Squad:

Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.

Few days ago, Cricket South Africa (CSA) named a 16-member squad for the ODI series against Afghanistan.

CSA Squad:

Temba Bavuma (c), Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Nqaba Peter, Andile Simelane, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams

sa/ma