Asia Cup 2022, AFG vs SL: Afghanistan's predicted playing XI for Match 1

Afghanistan named a strong 17-member squad for the Asia Cup 2022, which will be led by all-rounder Mohammad Nabi with Najibullah Zadran serving as his deputy. The team is coming on the back of a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat from their recent white-ball series against Ireland, but they would look to set that aside and drive their focus completely on winning the Asia Cup.

Afghanistan has participated in the Asia Cup twice, both times in the ODI contests in 2014 and 2018. Afghanistan will compete in the Asia Cup in the T20 format for the very first time. Afghanistan’s best Asia Cup showing came in 2018 when they advanced to the Super Four after defeating Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the pool round. They, however, did not triumph in any Super Four games. That being said, let’s have a look at-

Afghanistan’s predicted XI for their first game against Sri Lanka 

Openers – Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hazratullah Zazai

Rahmanullah Gurbaz will be the preferred opener for the Asia Cup 2022 due to the promising start to his career in the international arena. The young player may quickly eliminate the opposition’s momentum and can produce strong starts while batting as the top-order batter in the opening slot.

Hazratullah Zazai has been on and off of Afghanistan’s T20I squad in recent matches, although he is anticipated to start the batting lineup for Asia Cup alongside Gurbaz. The 24-year-old would frequently use the aerial route and may occasionally play a big game. Thus he might as well prove to be the team’s standout player.

Middle Order – Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari

Ibrahim Zadran made a strong impression during the matches against Ireland with some useful middle-order knocks. He will surely be a player to watch out for in the near future. The right-hander would probably play at the third position in the lineup and confront the fierce challenge from players like Hashmatullah Shahidi on the sideline.

Najibullah Zadran is among the most lethal T20 batters currently active, and he has a huge amount of expertise in the field. Najibullah can easily clear the ropes and will play a significant role in the fourth position. He also has a good strike rate of 141.75 and a decent average of 33.04. He was in fine touch throughout the Ireland series and helped his team win a game with a 24-ball 50-run effort.

Samiullah Shinwari was named on the roster for the Asia Cup 2022, and it is anticipated that his expertise would help the starting XI, though he hasn’t competed in international games since 2020. The 34-year-old was chosen because of his performance in the recent Shpageeza Cricket League 2022, where he proved to be a crucial player in the middle-order.

All Rounders – Mohammad Nabi (c), Rashid Khan

One of the finest all-rounders in the short-format game, Mohammad Nabi is highly potent with the bat and the ball. The 37-year-old is thrifty with the ball during the powerplay overs and has a strike rate of 141.52 in T20 Internationals. It’ll be a huge responsibility on the skipper if Afghanistan wishes to move forward in the tournament.

Rashid Khan is now the strongest T20I spinner available, and he can win matches all by himself for his team. He has significantly improved as a batter and appears to be much more formidable as the game moves into its final overs. He has been a force to reckon with in the T20I format, having 112 wickets from 66 games.

Bowlers – Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi

When fans talk about fast bowlers in the Afghanistan squad, Naveen-ul-Haq is regarded as the team’s future in that department, and he possesses all of the tricks up his sleeve to be successful. The 22-year-old youngster has been effective in T20Is, taking 25 wickets in 18 matches for an average of 18.04.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman has not been as productive as he could have been at the beginning of his professional career, but he still manages to prevent the flow of runs. In terms of diversity, the mystery spinner offers a lot, and he can team up with the experienced Rashid Khan to form a strong spin partnership at the Asia Cup 2022.

Since making his T20I debut in 2016, Fareed Ahmad has so far been active, although he hasn’t had many opportunities to demonstrate his skill with the ball. Nevertheless, in the fourth game against Ireland in the recently concluded series, he pulled up a three-wicket haul in a game that was disrupted by rain, and it is likely that his left-arm pace will secure him a spot in the XI.

Another rising star who has been spotted by numerous franchises worldwide is Fazalhaq Farooqi, a 21-year-old who already has established a name for himself in T20 Internationals. Farooqi will be challenging for the Sri Lankan batters. His numbers in the 20-over format are also decent as he has managed to scalp 12 wickets in nine games.