The Afghanistan Cricket Board’s National Selection Committee has finalized the squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, scheduled to take place from September 18th to 22nd at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.
The team will be without the services of star batsman Ibrahim Zadran, who has been ruled out of the series due to an ankle sprain. Zadran’s absence is a significant blow to the Afghan lineup, as he has been a consistent performer in recent times.
Another key player, frontline spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, will also miss the series as he continues to recover from a right phalanx sprain. Mujeeb’s absence further weakens the Afghan bowling attack.
To compensate for the injuries, Afghanistan has called up Abdul Malik and Darwish Rasooli. Malik, a right-hand top-order batsman, recently impressed in domestic List A competitions, while Rasooli, a T20I specialist, will be hoping to make his mark in the ODI format.
However, the team will have the services of its leading spinner, Rashid Khan, who missed the previous ODI series against Ireland. His return will be a major boost for Afghanistan, as he is arguably one of the best spinners in the world.
The rest of the squad remains the same as the team that triumphed over Ireland in a 3-match ODI series in March this year. The series against South Africa will be a challenging test for Afghanistan, as they face a strong and experienced opponent.
Afghanistan ODI Squad vs South Africa:
* 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
* Farid Ahmad Malik
