The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has officially announced a 22-member preliminary squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, which is scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 9 to 28. The squad will be led by star leg-spinner Rashid Khan.
Despite recent concerns about Rashid’s form, the ACB remains confident in his abilities and believes he will bounce back during the tournament.
Rashid opted out of participating in Major League Cricket (MLC) for MI New York, following a disappointing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Representing Gujarat Titans (GT), he managed to take only nine wickets, with an economy rate of 9.34 and an average of 57.11.
“Rashid Khan is Afghanistan’s superstar player. He has always done it for the team. Being in form or out of form, that’s a part of the game but he knows very well how to come back stronger and perform in major events for the team and the country,” Mir Mubariz,
ACB Chairman also confirmed that the board will organize a two-week preparation camp ahead of the tri-nation T20I series featuring Afghanistan, UAE, and Pakistan. Following the series, the team will shift its focus to the Asia Cup, where Afghanistan has been placed in Group B alongside Hong Kong, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
“We have announced a preliminary squad for the preparation camp ahead of the tri-nation series and Asia Cup where the newly-included guys will be checked by both the coaching staff and the captain during the training and preparation camp,” Mubariz said.
He further added that the final World Cup squad is expected to be selected from the 22-member preliminary camp, unless unforeseen injuries force changes to their plans.
“Yeah, we will probably go with these 22 players to the upcoming Asia Cup, but there might be changes in case of injury, and we will take care of such issues with the passage of time. Yeah, we have a great bunch of pacers. We have included Abdullah Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmad, and Salim Safi is also returning after an injury. So, they all have the ability to bowl around 140,” Mubariz said.
“The whole world knows Afghanistan has got the best spin unit, with the likes of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb, Mohammad Nabi, and Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar. We have also added Nangyal Kharoti and Sharafuddin Ashraf, particularly Sharafuddin Ashraf, who has been doing great in domestic cricket for the last few years and was the Player of the Tournament in the Shpageeza 2025,” he added.
Mubariz acknowledged that the decision regarding the opening pair will be left to the captain and coach, with three strong contenders, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, and Ibrahim Zadran, competing for the two available spots. Afghanistan will kick off their Asia Cup campaign on September 9 against Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi, followed by matches against Bangladesh on September 16 and Sri Lanka on September 18.
“We have added a number of new guys such as top-order batter Wafiullah Tarakhil who was great in domestic events and was part of our A team too. Two pacers Abdullah Ahmadzai who is part of the preparation camp for the first time and Bashir Ahmad who have played with our A team. They are the future of Afghanistan. After the tri-nation series and the camps, the coach, captain, and the selection committee will all decide together whom to go with for the Asia Cup,” Mubariz said.
“The opening pair will be decided by the coach and captain as per the condition and plan for the day and event, but yes, all of the mentioned players will be part of our top order,” he added.
Afghanistan’s 22-member preliminary squad:
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Ishaq, Rashid Khan (C), Mohammad Nabi, Nangyal Kharoti, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mujeeb Zadran, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Naveen ul Haq, Farid Malik, Saleem Safi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmad.
India
