The Afghanistan cricket team is gearing up for an action-packed white-ball tour of Zimbabwe with exciting new additions and the return of a key player to the team, as they announced the teams for the upcoming series.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on December 1 announced the T20I and ODI teams for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman grabbed all the attention as the star returned to the white-ball teams after recovering from a challenging right phalanx sprain injury that kept him out of action for a couple of months.
Afghanistan prepare for Zimbabwe tour with Mujeeb Ur Rahman returning from injury
His return will boost Afghanistan’s bowling arsenal as they take on Zimbabwe in a three-match T20I series and a three-match ODI series next week. Adding to the excitement, young top-class sensation Zubaid Akbari earned his first call-up to Afghanistan’s T20I team.
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Akbari’s consistency in domestic cricket and his pivotal role in the Afghans’ title-winning campaign in the Emerging Asia Cup secured him for his T20I debut.
Joining him is the talented Darwish Rasooli, who also returned to the T20I set-up for the tour of Zimbabwe due to his remarkable domestic form and leading the Afghans to the Emerging Asia Cup title.
However, the Afghan cricket team will miss the services of Ibrahim Zadran, who is still recovering from ankle surgery. He is likely to be replaced by Rasooli in the playing eleven.
We wish Zubaid Akbari and Darwish Rasooli the best for the upcoming series: Ahmad Shah
ACB interim chief selector Ahmad Shah said: “It is a great feeling to see our frontline player Mujeeb Ur Rahman recovering from his injury and being available for selection. “He is an essential member of our team and we look forward to him continuing to shine brightly for Afghanistan.”
The chief selector further added, “Moreover, Zubaid Akbari and Darwish Rasooli have been performing consistently, 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 best for the upcoming series.”
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Notably, the three T20I matches will be played on December 11, 13 and 14 before ODI action begins on December 17, 19 and 21 in Harare. Afghan Atland and Zimbabwe will also play a two-match Test series starting December 26 in Bulawayo. The final Test will be played from January 2 in Bulawayo.
Here is the Afghanistan white-ball team for the Zimbabwe series:
T20I Team: Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Darwish Rasooli, Zubaid Akbari, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Fareed Ahmad and Naveen Ul Haq.
ODI Team: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.