SL vs AFG: Afghanistan Announce 15-Member Squad For Three Match ODI Series Against Sri Lanka; Hashmatullah Shahidi To Lead The Squad

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Monday announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which will be played at Hambantota from June 2 to 7. Afghanistan will kick off their ODI World Cup 2023 preparations with a series against the island nation.

Experienced left-hander Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead the Afghanistan side during the tour of Sri Lanka. The selectors selected a strong squad that included star players like Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Noor Ahmad, and Fazalhaq Farooqi, who are part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.

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Fast bowling all-rounder Abdul Rahman has been added to the squad following his success in Afghanistan’s domestic One Day Cup competition. Also, Shahidullah Kamal, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar, and Gulbadin Naib are part of the reserves for the upcoming white-ball tour.

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Afghanistan Cricket Board chair Mirwais Ashraf said that their World Cup preparation began with the Sri Lanka tour and hoped that they would find a good combination.

“It’s good to have a couple of young faces for the series; the build-up for the ICC Cricket World Cup has already begun, and we are looking for every possible opportunity to build a good combination of the team and prepare them well for the event,” Mirwais Ashraf said in a statement.

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Afghanistan have qualified directly for the 2023 ODI World Cup, as they finished in seventh place in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League standings. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, failed to make it into the top 8 spots and will play World Cup qualifiers, which will be played in Zimbabwe in June and July.

Afghanistan have a strong bowling attack with the likes of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, and Mohammad Nabi. The three spinners are in the top 10 of the latest ICC Men’s ODI bowlers’ rankings. Noor impressed with his bowling in his debut IPL season, and Farooqi will lead the fast bowling attack.

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Series Schedule

First ODI: June 2, Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota
Second ODI: June 4, Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota
Third ODI: June 7, Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota

Afghanistan Squad For ODI Series Against Sri Lanka:

Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhail (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujib ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Abdul Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Farid Ahmad Malik.

Reserves: Gulbadin Naib, Shahidullah Kamal, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zia ur Rahman Akbar

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