For the three-match T20I series against the UAE that begins on December 29 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE, the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s Selection Committee has selected an 18-member Afghanistan National Squad. Afghanistan’s regular captain for Twenty20 internationals, Rashid Khan, is sidelined while he recovers from recent back surgery. As the backup captain, Ibrahim Zadran has been named. The Sharjah Cricket Stadium will host the series from December 29, 2023, to January 2, 2024.
Two of the three players, fast bowlers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq, who recently came under fire for their decision to forego annual central contracts, have now been added to the team. All of them have made a strong desire to represent their country once more known to the ACB, and they have asked the previously designated committee to reevaluate its judgment regarding the disciplinary actions taken against them.
As a result, the ACB expressed its appreciation for their desire to work closely with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and to stay committed to representing their nation when playing cricket. In addition, the ACB asked the relevant committee to carry out a thorough investigation and encouraged them to report back to the board with their conclusions and recommendations after carefully reviewing the players’ requests.
The ACB had previously stated in a press release that it will evaluate and decide if these players needed to be involved in the events. As such, the board has taken this into consideration and has added two of these players to the UAE series roster.
Afghan team for the Twenty20 Internationals in the United Arab Emirates:
Ibrahim Zadran (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Darwish Rasooli, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmaullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem and Qais Ahmad.
Rashid Khan, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Ikram Alikhil and Gulbadin Naib have been included in the squad as reserves.
India
