Ibrahim Zadran has been left out of Afghanistan’s ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against South Africa in Sharjah due to a left ankle sprain, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced on Thursday.
Mujeeb ur Rahman also remains sidelined, still recovering from a right phalanx sprain.
To cover for the absentees, Afghanistan selectors have turned to in-form domestic players, adding top-order batter Abdul Malik and recalling Darwish Rasooli, who has previously featured in seven T20 Internationals.
“Mujeeb Ur Rahman continues to recover from his injury and is unavailable for selection,” said ACB chief selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil.
“Ibrahim Zadran will miss the South Africa ODIs after twisting his ankle during the New Zealand Test.
However, we’ve brought in young, top-performing talents like Abdul Malik and Darwish Rasooli.
Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, another exciting prospect, will replace Mujeeb in the squad.”
Rashid Khan, who missed Afghanistan’s last ODI series against Ireland, returns to the team for what will be the first-ever bilateral ODI series between Afghanistan and South Africa.
The rest of the squad remains unchanged from the one that secured a 2-0 series win over Ireland in March.
“Hosting South Africa for the first time in our cricketing history is a significant achievement for Afghanistan Cricket,” said ACB CEO Naseeb Khan.
“They are a world-class team, and playing an ODI series against them is something we’re eagerly anticipating.
“Our team has performed exceptionally well in ICC events over the last two or three years, and we are focused on becoming equally competitive in bilateral series,” he added.
Squad:
Player Name |
---|
Hashmatullah Shahidi (Captain) |
Rahmat Shah (Vice Captain) |
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK) |
Ikram Alikhil (WK) |
Abdul Malik |
Riaz Hassan |
Darwish Rasooli |
Azmatullah Omarzai |
Mohammad Nabi |
Gulbadin Naib |
Rashid Khan |
Nangyal Kharoti |
Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar |
Fazal Haq Farooqi |
Bilal Sami |
Naveed Zadran |
Farid Ahmad Malik |
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