Afghanistan have announced the squad for the upcoming home series against Pakistan which will begin on March 24. The team includes 17 members and three reserve players and will be led by Rashid Khan. Interestingly, former skipper, Mohammad Nabi has been recalled for the three-match T20I series. On the other hand, senior batters Rahmat Shah and Hazratullah Zazai have missed the cut.
“Our team has been working hard in training camp and selectors have selected the best available players for the series," Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Naseeb Khan said.
"I am confident that our team will perform at their best and make our nation proud. We wish our team the best of luck for the series and hope to see them emerge victorious."
Afghanistan Full Squad:
Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Sediqullah Atal, Najibullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen Ul Haq.
Reserve players: Nangyal Kharoti, Zahir Khan and Nijat Masoud.
Mohammad Nabi and story of his return
Nabi who resigned from captaincy after the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup was recalled to the team. He was dropped for the series against UAE, but the 37-year-old will make a return against Pakistan.
In the Super 12 phase, Afghanistan ended at the bottom of the Group 1 table with just 2 points. Nabi stepped down from the role of captaincy by announcing it through his social media account.
In the message, Nabi mentioned the difference in his views and the selection committee led to an imbalance in the team.
"From the last year, our team preparation was not to a level that a captain would want or need for a big tournament. Moreover, in some of the last tours the team management, selection committee and I were not on the same page which had implications on the team balance" he added.
