Asia Cup 2023: Afghanistan's strongest predicted playing XI for the tournament

After getting whitewashed by Pakistan in the three-match One-Day International (ODI), Afghanistan will now head to the Asia Cup 2023. Recently, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced Afghnaistan’s 17-member squad which will tour Pakistan and Sri Lanka to play the continental tournament.  

Now, these 17 men will carry the responsibility of playing quality cricket and helping their side to be at its best in the marquee event. In the 2018 edition of the tournament which was played in the ODI format, the Afghanistan team put up a fine show and ended their campaign in the Super Four round. In the group stage, they beat Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to top the pool. This time, they will be expected to perform exceptionally well from their fans and get the coveted trophy home.

Here is Afghanistan’s Best-XI for Asia Cup 2023

1. Ibrahim Zadran

Ibrahim Zadran’s responsibility will be to deliver fierce starts to his team with his opening batting. The right-handed batter has been active in ODI cricket since November 2019 and in these four years, he has scored 829 runs with four centuries and three fifties in 17 matches. 

Talking about his batting performance in 2023, the 21-year-old has scored 396 runs in nine ODIs at a strike rate of 80.00. He has also notched up three fifties and a hundred. In the recently concluded three-match ODI series against Pakistan, he scored 80 runs at an average of 26.66.

Except for his performance in the second ODI, Zadran disappointed his Afghanistan fans against the Men in Green. He accumulated a couple of ducks in the competition. However, leaving the failure behind, he will look to showcase his best in the massive continental competition.