In Kabul on October 15, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) revealed its squads for the upcoming trip to Zimbabwe. The tour will feature a historic single‑match Test and a three‑game T20I series that kicks off on October 20 at the Harare Sports Club.
For the Test, Hashmatullah Shahidi will again captain Afghanistan. Rashid Khan was rested to protect his fitness for future internationals, but he’ll return as captain of the T20I side. The Test squad keeps fast bowler Bashir Ahmad, who recently played ODIs and T20Is, and adds new men to the attack: fast bowler Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, left‑arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf, and leg‑spinner Khalil Gurbaz, who impressed in the domestic red‑ball season. Spin‑bowling all‑rounder Shahidullah Kamal joins both squads, and a reserve pool now includes Ibrahim Abdulrahimzai, Sediqullah Atal, and Shams Ur Rahman.
The T20I squad welcomes middle‑order batter Ijaz Ahmadzai back after his 2024 debut. Alongside him, Shahidullah Kamal also makes the T20I side for the series. Rashid Khan leads the team with Ibrahim Zadran as vice‑captain, and other names on the roster include Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Bashir Ahmad, and seasoned campaignsman Mohammad Nabi.
CEO Naseeb Khan noted that Afghanistan’s domestic and high‑performance programs are paying off, saying the board has successfully staged back‑to‑back bilateral series. After the Bangladesh series hosted by ACB, the national team heads to Zimbabwe for the Test and T20I fixtures, with more tours lined up afterward.
Afghanistan Test squad (captain Hashmatullah Shahidi): Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Afsar Zazai (wk), Ikram Alikhel (wk), Bahir Shah, Shahidullah Kamal, Ismat Alam, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Khalil Gurbaz, Bashir Ahmad. Reserves: Ibrahim Abdulrahimzai, Sediqullah Atal, Shams Ur Rahman.
Afghanistan T20I squad (captain Rashid Khan): Rashid Khan, Ibrahim Zadran (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Bashir Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Abdullah Ahmadzai. Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Faridoon Dawoodzai.
Source: ianslive
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