Photo Credit: Afghanistan Cricket Board
Afghanistan Cricket Board’s National Selection Committee today finalized the Afghanistan National Team’s Squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa, scheduled to be played from September 18 to 22 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE.
Afghanistan will be without the services of the prolific top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran who has been ruled out of the series due to an ankle sprain in his left leg. The AfghanAtalan Lineup will continue to miss the expertise of its frontline spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is yet to fully recover from a right phalanx sprain.
Talented right-hand top-order batter Abdul Malik, who recently put on some incredible performances in domestic List A competitions, has been called up to cover for the injured Ibrahim Zadran. Darwish Rasooli, who has 7 T20I caps to his name so far and has put on terrific consistent performances in the recently held List A Cup and the SCL9, has been called up to the national for the South Africa Series.
AfghanAtalan lineup will also have the services of its all-time greatest spinner Rashid Khan, who missed the previous ODI series against Ireland. The rest of the squad remains the same that helped Afghanistan win the 3-match ODI series 2-nill against Ireland back in March this year.
ACB CEO Mr. Naseeb Khan: “Hosting South Africa for the first time in our cricketing history is a huge milestone for Afghanistan Cricket. They are a top-quality side, and playing against them in an ODI series is something we are all excited about.”
“Our team has shown great performances in ICC events over the past two-three years, and we are focused on making our team equally competitive in bilateral cricket.” He added
ACB Chief Selector Mr. Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil: “Mujeeb Ur Rahman continues to recover from his injury and is unavailable for selection. Ibrahim Zadran will also miss the South Africa ODIs for twisting his ankle on the edge of the New Zealand Test. However, we have included some of the top-performing youngsters in Abdul Malik and Darwish Rasooli. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar is also a talented cricketer and has demonstrated excellent skills recently and will cover for Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the series.”
Afghanistan Squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), 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 and Farid Ahmad Malik.
Etisalat Afghanistan Telecommunication Company holds the title sponsorship rights, while Super Cola Beverages Manufacturing Company is the Powered By sponsor and Kymco is named the co-sponsor for Afghanistan’s three-match home ODI series against South Africa.
Series Schedule:
| Date | Match | Venue |
| 18th September, 2024 | 1st ODI | Sharjah |
| 18th September, 2024 | 2nd ODI | Sharjah |
| 18th September, 2024 | 3rd ODI | Sharjah |
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The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is the governing body for cricket in Afghanistan. It joined the ICC in 2001, became an associate member in 2013, and a full member in 2017. The ACB is also part of the Asian Cricket Council.
