INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Sunday announced the nation&s squads for the white-ball leg of the Zimbabwe tour which consists of three
T20Is and as many ODIs, scheduled to begin on December 11 in Harare.Promising young left-handed top-order batter Zubaid Akbari has earned
his maiden call-up to the T20I squad
Akbari put on some stellar performances in the domestic season and was also a major contributor to Afghanistan A&s glory at the Emerging
Additionally, Darwish Rasooli returns to the T20I side after an impressive domestic season
He also led the Afghanistan A lineup to their maiden title at the ACC Men&s T20 Emerging Asia Cup in Oman, earlier this year.Afghanistan
will continue to miss the services of prolific top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran, who is still recovering from the ankle surgery he recently
However, there&s good news for Afghan fans as frontline spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has fully recovered from his right phalanx sprain, and has
been added to the side for both the T20I and ODI series during the Zimbabwe tour.The calendar year 2024 has been both busy and successful
for the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and the AfghanAtalan (Afghanistan A) lineup, with a packed schedule of home and away games and some
remarkable achievements,& ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said
&As part of this action-packed year, the AfghanAtalan (Afghanistan A) lineup will be touring Zimbabwe for a full and all-format series,
which we eagerly anticipate and look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.AfghanAtalan (Afghanistan A) have a rich
history of playing in Zimbabwe over the years and have performed exceptionally well there
Playing against Zimbabwe on their home soil is always challenging and brings immense joy
I believe the group of players selected for this series will rise to the occasion and make this tour a memorable one.ACB Interim Chief
Selector, Ahmad Shah, remarked, &It&s a great feeling to see our frontline spinner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, recover from his injury and be
He is an essential member of our squad, and we hope he continues to shine brightly for Afghanistan
Additionally, Zubaid Akbari and Darwish Rasooli have been consistent performers, not only in domestic cricket but also in the recently
concluded ACC Emerging Teams Cup, where Afghanistan claimed the title
We have included both players in the T20I squad and wish them the very best for the upcoming series.Afghanistan T20I Squad for the Zimbabwe
Tour:Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Darwish Rasooli,
Zubaid Akbari, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed
Ahmad and Naveen Ul Haq.Afghanistan ODI Squad for the Zimbabwe Tour:Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK),
Ikram Alikhil (WK), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal
Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.ACB noted that white-ball leg of
the tour has also seen a slight shift and a change in dates to help the spectators attend the key games during weekends
As per the revised schedule of matches, the three T20Is, which were originally slotted to be played on December 9, 11 and 12, have now been
pushed back to Wednesday, 11 December, Friday, 13 December, and Saturday, 14 November.These adjustments have also affected the ODIs, with
the first game now scheduled for Tuesday, 17 December
The second and third ODI match will follow on Thursday 19 December and Saturday, 21 December, respectively
All these matches will be played at the Harare Sports Club.The post Afghanistan announce squads for white-ball tour of Zimbabwe first
