Afghans announce strong ODI squad against Bangladesh
|| CF DESK ||
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced a strong squad on Tuesday for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, starting on November 6 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE.
The Afghans, however, will continue to miss the services of top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran, who is recovering from ankle surgery that he recently underwent in England, while spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman is still recovering from a right phalanx sprain.
Left-hand top-order batter Sediqullah Atal, who recently stuck 95 not out against Bangladesh ‘A’ in the ongoing Emerging Asia Cup, so far played six T20Is, has been called up to cover for the injured Zadran.
Noor Ahmad after missing South Africa series has also been recalled for the series. The rest of the squad remains the same that helped Afghanistan to a 2-1 ODI series win over South Africa last month in Sharjah.
"Playing against Bangladesh has always been challenging and full of joy. I believe the group of players selected for this series will perform exceptionally well and bring more glory to our nation," said ACB CEO Naseeb Khan.
The second and third match will take place at the same venue on November 9 and 11 respectively.
SQUAD: Hashmatullah Shahidi (Captain), Rahmat Shah (Vice-captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wicketkeeper), Ikram Alikhil (Wicketkeeper), Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik