Afghanistan unveils squad for upcoming Asia Cup 2025

A roster of 17 players has been announced by the Afghanistan Cricket Board for the forthcoming Asia Cup. The T20 format will be used during the competition, and Rashid Khan will captain the team. Their seasoned veterans like Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, and Muhammad Nabi will be part of the Afghan Atalan's Asia Cup team, who had helped the Afghans to qualify for the T20 World Cup knockouts last year, were also named in the squad.. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran would be opening the innings for the team.

Naveen-ul-Haq, who retired from the ODI format, will also make a comeback with the team. Allah Ghazanfar, who was recovering from an injury, will also play for his country again. According to management, their approach is centred on spin, and the team combines young, talented players like AM Ghazanfar and Noor Ahmad with tried-and-true match-winners like Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

A vital prelude to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka the following year, the Asia Cup 2025 will be played under the T20 format. Afghanistan will launch their campaign against Hong Kong on September 9 after being selected in Group B along with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong.

Notably, Afghanistan hasn't participated in any Twenty20 matches this year, with their most recent series being against Zimbabwe in December 2024. Hazratullah Zazai and Zubaid Akbari are the only two players removed from that team, while Ibrahim Zadran and Sharafuddin Ashraf have returned after missing the Zimbabwe tour.

Squad: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen ul Haq.

Reserve players: Wafiullah Tarakhil, Nangeyalia Kharote, Abdullah Ahmadzai.

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