Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced the national squad for the three-ODI matches against Bangladesh which included 5 uncapped players and sees the return of Rashid Khan, who was rested for the one-off Test.
All the three ODIs will be played at Chittagong on July 5, 8, and 11.
Rashid Khan had suffered a lower back injury during the Sri Lanka ODI series and hence he was rested from the one-off Test against Bangladesh, which they lost by 546 runs, the third largest margin of defeat by runs in Test history.
While Rashid Khan returned to the ODI squad, Afghanistan selectors dropped Noor Ahmad from the side, which played Sri Lanka last month.
But there are a few new comers in the ODI squad- fast bowlers Saleem Safi and Wafadar Momand and leg-spinner Izharulhaq Naveed, all-rounder Abdul Rahman, and left-arm spinner Zia Ur Rahman Akbar.
Izharulhaq was a member of the Afghanistan Test team that recently suffered a humiliating loss to Bangladesh, but he was unable to participate. While Akbar was promoted to the squad after serving as a reserve during Afghanistan's recent ODI tour of Sri Lanka, Rahman participated in those matches.
Another notable inclusion in the squad is left-arm pacer Sayed Ahmad Shirzad, who last played an ODI game during the 2019 World Cup.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board's national selection committee has confirmed that these players will participate in the upcoming ODI matches as well as the World Cup in India.
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"We have selected the best available players for our future programs, including the Bangladesh ODIs next month. We have strategic plans in place to prepare our team for the upcoming mega events in the next three to four months. Therefore, we have chosen a specific number of players alongside backup reserves who will be utilised during this period,” chief selector Asadullah Khan said in a statement.
Afghanistan will also play two T20Is against Bangladesh after the ODI series.
Afghanistan ODI squad:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ikram Alikhil, Riaz Hassan, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Shahidullah Kamal, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar, Izharulhaq Naveed, Abdul Rahman, Wafadar Momand, Saleem Safi and Sayed Ahmad Shirzad
(PTI inputs)
