Afghanistan announce ODI squad for the Ireland series in UAE

Afghanistan is currently on a roll in International cricket and up next for them will be an assignment against UAE in Sharjah. After annihilating the same opponents in the ICC Intercontinental Cup at Abu Dhabi, a 3-match ODI series is up next for the Afghans and they will be looking to pull off a similar kind of result.

Asghar Stanikzai will, as usual, be leading the lines and one of the new names in the squad is Shafiqullah Shafaq, who will replace Afsar Zazai from the Test squad that faced UAE. Their pace department looks solid with the likes of Shapoor Zadran and Dawlat Zadran leading the attack.

Their main strength will be the experience of Asghar Stanikzai and Mohammad Nabi, who have been the stalwarts of their meteoric rise over the last few years. These guys inspired various other youngsters on their side to make Afghanistan a force to reckon with. This inspiration is what helped the Afghanistan Under-19 side to win the Under-19 Asia Cup, beating some top sides like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

Mujeeb Zadran gets a maiden call-up

16-year-old Mujeeb Zadran gets a maiden call-up from the Afghanistan national side. After being sent as a replacement for Rashid Khan in the Bangladesh Premier League, the youngster has reached the pinnacle at a tender age. He will be pairing up with Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan in the spin department, which would be like a dream come true moment for him.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board announced a 17-man squad, out of which 14 belong to the main squad and 3 have been kept as reserves. Their country recently attained the Test status, which means they will be playing the most prestigious format of the gentlemen’s game alongside some big cricketing nationals like Australia, England, and India.

The first of the three ODIs will be held at the iconic Sharjah beginning from 5th December. After that, the second one will be held in the same venue on 7th and the final encounter will be played on 10th. Here’s the complete squad which will lock horns with the hosts.

Afghanistan Squad: Asghar Stanikzai (C), Noor Ali Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmat Shah, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Rashid Khan, Gulbuddin Naib, Javed Ahmadi, Hamza Hotak, Najibullah Zadran, Nasir Jamal, Dawlat Zadran, Ihsanullah Janat, Shapoor Zadran, Mujeeb Zadran (Reserves – Farid Ahmad Malik, Afsar Zazai, Karim Janat)