The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has named a 19-member squad for the upcoming three-match One Day International (ODI) series against Bangladesh, welcoming back star all-rounder Rashid Khan. In a bid to strengthen the team and provide opportunities to emerging talents, the squad features five uncapped players.
Rashid Khan was absent from the one-match Test series against Bangladesh as the team management wanted to give him sufficient time to recover from his back issues. His return to the ODI squad is seen as a significant boost for Afghanistan, especially after their heavy defeat in the previous game against Bangladesh in Dhaka, where Rashid’s absence was keenly felt.
Among the uncapped cricketers included in the squad are Zia Akbar, Izharulhaq Naveed, Wafadar Momand, Abdur Rahman, and Saleem Shafi. Additionally, Shahidullah Kamal and Sayeed Ahmad Shirzad make their return to the squad.
The Afghanistan squad for the Bangladesh ODIs includes Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Shahidullah, Zia-ur-Rehman, Wafadar Momand, Mohammad Saleem, and Sayed Shirzad.
Furthermore, Karim Janat, Zubaid Akbari, Qais Ahmad, Ihsanullah Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Naveen-ul-Haq, Farid Malik, Darwish Rasooli, and Ishaq Rahimi have been listed as backup reserves for the team.
