Former skipper Mohammad Nabi left out of Afghanistan squad for UAE T20Is

As Afghanistan prepare to take on the UAE for a three-match T20I series, skipper Rashid Khan will be going in with a rejuvenated squad. There have been as many as seven changes to the 18-man squad from the team that went to the T20 World Cup 2022. One of the most notable changes to the squad is the absence of Mohammad Nabi who left the captaincy after the World Cup.

Zahir Khan, Rahmat Shah, Afsar Zazai, Noor Ahmed, Nijat Masood, and Karim Janat make their way into the squad facing the UAE. Sharafuddin Ashraf, who was among the reserves at the World Cup, has also been called up to the squad. Apart from Mohammad Nabi, Qais Ahmad, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Saleem, and Usman Ghani are the players who have been dropped ahead of the series.

Afghanistan will go up against the UAE on Thursday, February 16. Every match of the series will be played in Abu Dhabi, and the series will be part of a five-year agreement between both countries. The changes to the squad could bear fruit for Afghanistan as they will be looking to dominate the UAE in the series right from the start.

Afghanistan is coming off of an ODI series stalemate against Sri Lanka

Prior to the series against the UAE, Afghanistan faced Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series held in November 2022. They got off to a good start as they won the first game of the series by 60 runs. The second game of the series bore no result, and Sri Lanka won the third game to bring the series to a draw.

Afghanistan will be hoping that things turn in their favour this time around as they take on the UAE soon. Coming off of a draw in their previous series, the team will be looking to establish dominance right from the start and win the series. Skipper Rashid Khan will depend on the new entrants in the squad and hope that Nabi's absence is not felt.