Afghanistan have announced their squads for the upcoming white-ball tour of Zimbabwe and it marks the return of their star mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Mujeeb is on the verge of playing for Afghanistan again for the first time since June last year. He was sidelined with a right phalanx (hand) sprain and was recently seen competing in the Abu Dhabi T10 in November.
Afghanistan's star opener Ibrahim Zadran will miss the tour as he is still recovering from the ankle surgery, he underwent recently in England.
Afghanistan have added the 24-year-old top-order batter Zubaid Akbari to their T20I squad. This is Zubaid's maiden international call-up. The selectors have also announced the return of batter Darwish Rasooli to the white-ball squads.
Akbari has been rewarded for his impressive outings in the recently culminated ACC Men's Emerging T20 Asia Cup. Akbari was Afghanistan A's second-leading run-getter in the tournament behind Sediqullah Atal. Akbari had scored 137 runs in four games at a strike rate of 137.73, including two fifties.
Afghanistan Cricket Board's (ACB) interim chief selector Ahmad Shah expressed elation on Mujeeb's return and also opened about the inclusion of Rasooli and Akbari.
"It's a great feeling to see our frontline spinner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, recover from his injury and be available for selection. He is an essential member of our squad, and we hope he continues to shine brightly for Afghanistan. Additionally, Zubaid Akbari and Darwish Rasooli have been consistent performers, not only in domestic cricket but also in the recently concluded ACC Emerging Teams Cup, where Afghanistan claimed the title. We have included both players in the T20I squad and wish them the very best for the upcoming series," Shah said in a statement released by ACB.
Afghanistan T20I Squad for the Zimbabwe Tour:
Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Darwish Rasooli, Zubaid Akbari, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad and Naveen Ul Haq.
Afghanistan ODI Squad for the Zimbabwe Tour:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.
