The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Hashmatullah Shahidi will be leading Afghanistan whereas Rahmat Shah has been named as the vice-captain of the side. Other than the 15-member squad the ACB has also named four reserved players including Sharafuddin Ashraf, Shahidullah Kamal, Abdul Rahman Rahmani, and Bilal Sami. The ODI series will begin on February 7, 2024.
Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan is not included in the team as he continues to recover from his back injury. The ODI squad consists of Naveed Zadran, who made his debut in the Test format and has also been included in the ODI squad. Mohammad Saleem has been ruled out of the series due to the hamstring injury he faced during Day 2 of the only Test against Sri Lanka.
Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Naseeb Khan, while announcing the ODI squad of the team against Sri Lanka stated that the board wants to plan more bilateral series so that they keep the schedule of the side busy. Naseeb added that the current trip is the third of the Afghani team in the last 16 months and believes that the selectors have selected a promising team and an entertaining series is awaiting the fans.
He said, “We have consistently striven to secure more bilateral cricket matches and create a busy schedule for our national teams. This marks our third visit to Sri Lanka in the past 16 months, which is a promising sign moving forward. The selectors have selected a strong lineup and we eagerly anticipate an exciting series ahead.”
The Afghanistan cricket team has made a big name in international cricket in a very short period. The Afghani team is one of the fastest-growing cricketing nations in the world and has kept on impressing with their performance recently in international cricket. The Afghani team which began to play cricket under tough circumstances, today is counted as one of the favourites to give tough competition to top teams.
Afghanistan had a blast campaign in the recently concluded ODI World Cup 2023. Afghanistan were able to win four games out of nine, which included wins against top sides such as Pakistan and England. Afghanistan were once on the verge of defeating Australia and also to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament. The Afghani team will be considered as favorites to qualify for the knockouts of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Afghanistan delivered decent performances in the three-match T20I series against India played earlier this month, and also came very close to winning the third game in Bengaluru. Some of the most demanding players are those who play in different T20 competitions throughout the world, such as Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and many others.
Afghanistan ODI squad against Sri Lanka
Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Qais Ahmad, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.
Reserves: Sharafuddin Ashraf, Shahidullah Kamal, Abdul Rahman Rahmani and Bilal Sami