Afghanistan T20, ODI Squad vs Zimbabwe announced; Veteran returns

The Afghanistan cricket team is gearing up for an action-packed white-ball tour of Zimbabwe with exciting new additions and the return of a key player to the squad, as they announced the squads for the upcoming series.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on December 1 announced the T20I and ODI squads for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman grabbed all the spotlight as the star spinner made a return to the white-ball squads after recovering from a challenging right phalanx sprain injury that kept him out of action for a couple of months.

Afghanistan gears up for Zimbabwe tour with Mujeeb Ur Rahman returning from injury

His return is set to boost Afghanistan’s bowling arsenal, as they take on Zimbabwe in a three-match T20I and a three-match ODI series next week. Adding to the excitement, young top-order sensation Zubaid Akbari earned his maiden call-up to Afghanistan’s T20I squad.

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Akbari’s consistency in domestic cricket and his instrumental role in the Afghans' title-winning campaign at the Emerging Asia Cup made him certain for his T20I debut.

Joining him is the talented Darwish Rasooli, who also returned to the T20I setup for the Zimbabwe tour due to his remarkable domestic form and leading the Afghans to the Emerging Asia Cup title.

However, the Afghan cricket team will miss the services of Ibrahim Zadran, who continues to recover from ankle surgery. He is likely to be replaced by Rasooli in the playing XI.

We wish Zubaid Akbari and Darwish Rasooli very best for the upcoming series: Ahmad Shah

ACB Interim Chief Selector, Ahmad Shah, stated: “It's a great feeling to see our frontline spinner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, recover from his injury and be available for selection. He is an essential member of our squad, and we hope he continues to shine brightly for Afghanistan.”

The chief selector further added, “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.”

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Notably, the three T20I matches will be played on December 11, 13, and 14 before the ODI action kicks off on December 17, 19, and 21 in Harare. the Afghan Atland and Zimbabwe will also play a two-match Test series from December 26 in Bulawayo. The final Test will be played from January 2 in Bulawayo.

Here’s Afghanistan’s white-ball squad for the Zimbabwe series:

T20I squad: Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Darwish Rasooli, Zubaid Akbari, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Fareed Ahmad, and Naveen Ul Haq.

ODI squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran, and Farid Ahmad Malik.