The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Tuesday announced a 19-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Bangladesh. A 23-year-old star from the Emerging Teams Asia Cup has been included in the squad.
ACB has made two additions to the squad that defeated South Africa in an ODI series 2-1 in Sharjah last month. Noor Ahmed and Emerging Teams Asia Cup star opener Sediqullah Atal have been added to the squad with Ibrahim Zadran and Mujeeb Ur Rahman missing out.
Ibrahim is still recovering from ankle surgery, while Mujeeb is also not fully fit to play due to a right phalanx sprain. ACB chief selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil opened on the absence of the two players.
"Ibrahim Zadran is currently undergoing rehabilitation and continues to recover from the surgery he recently had. Mujeeb Ur Rahman also remains unavailable due to ongoing treatment," Sulimankhil said.
"However, Noor Ahmad is back in the squad, and we have included a promising top-order batter in Sediqullah Atal, who has impressed everyone with his consistent top performances," he added.
ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said that 2024 has been a successful year for Afghanistan. "The calendar year 2024 has been action-packed and quite successful for the ACB and the AfghanAtalan lineup, particularly in white-ball cricket. ODI cricket has been a top priority for us, as it helps us prepare the team for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy.”
“Playing against Bangladesh has always been challenging and full of joy. I believe the group of players selected for this series will perform exceptionally well and bring more glory to our nation," he added.
The ODI series will start on November 6, followed by the second and third ODIs on November 9 and 11. All the matches will take place in Sharjah.
Afghanistan squad for ODI series against Bangladesh:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran, Farid Ahmad Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Noor Ahmad
