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The Asian Games 2026 will take place in the Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, 2026. Cricket has been added since the last edition of the competition; many teams have already announced their squads, and now the Afghanistan National Cricket Team has announced the squad for the forthcoming event.
The Afghanistan side has been one of the most improved in Asian cricket, from an associate nation a few years ago to a giant killer now. In recent times, they have dominated white-ball cricket, defeated some of the best teams in the world, and shocked the cricketing fraternity. They will look to perform well in the Asian Games.
Afghanistan announce squad for Asian Games, Rashid Khan absent
Ahead of the Asian Games 2026, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced the squad. Darwish Rasooli will captain the squad that has a mixture of experience and youth. Notably, Rashid Khan and some other senior players have been rested from the competition.
This is a golden opportunity for Darwish Rasooli to showcase his leadership qualities in the continental multi-sport event. With a bunch of young cricketers, Rasooli’s main job will be to guide the youngsters properly in the event and provide the Afghan side a good run in the tournament and probably be eligible for a medal match.
Back in 2022, the Afghan side performed well as they won the silver medal in the tournament. They were on equal points with India; however, they finished second due to the ICC Cricket Rankings in the format. The final was washed out, and India won the gold medal by the barest of margins.
No senior players for Afghanistan
Apart from skipper Darwish Rasooli, there are only two experienced players, Najibullah Zadran and Karim Janat, who have played more matches than any other cricketers in the team. There are no Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Ibrahim Zadran in the squad.
Nangyal Kharoti, who recently impressed during the ODI series against India, has been added to the squad. He will look to perform in the forthcoming major event and make a name for himself. The left-arm spinner picked four wickets in the two matches he featured in against India.
Ismat Alam rewarded for his exceptional performance
The majority of the squad is filled with players who recently featured in the recently concluded 11th edition of the Shpageeza Cricket League 2026.
Mohammad Akram has been rewarded for his remarkable performance in the SCL XI, where he amassed 339 runs in eight innings, including a century and two fifties. In addition, all-rounder Ismat Alam, who was awarded the Player of the Tournament for his exceptional performance with the bat, scoring 294 runs and taking 9 wickets.
Afghanistan Squad for the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan: Darwish Rasooli (C), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Mohammad Akram, Hassan Eisakhil, Khalid Taniwal, Imran Mir, Faisal Khan Shinozada, Najibullah Zadran, Farmanullah Safi, Ismat Alam, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Arab Gul Momand, Faridoon Dawoodzai, and Abdullah Ahmadzai.
