KABUL: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced a 22-member preliminary squad for their upcoming T20I assignments, the tri-nation series against Pakistan and hosts UAE, followed by the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025.
As per the ACB’s official statement, the Rashid Khan-led squad will undergo a two-week training and preparation camp, after which the final 15-member squad for both events will be finalized.
Afghanistan’s T20I tri-series campaign will kick off on August 29 in Sharjah with a curtain-raiser against Pakistan.
The tri-series, scheduled to run from August 29 to September 7, will be held entirely at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium and will see each team face the others twice, culminating in the final on September 7.
The series will serve as a crucial tune-up for the Asia Cup 2025, also to be held in the UAE from September 9 to 28 in the T20 format.
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It offers all three participating sides, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the UAE, a valuable chance to adapt to conditions ahead of the continental event.
Interestingly, Pakistan and Afghanistan were originally slated to play a bilateral series in August.
However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) proposed converting it into a tri-nation tournament to enhance preparations for the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup 2026.
The preliminary squad of Afghanistan features several familiar names, including seniors Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, alongside emerging talents like Wafiullah Tarakhil, Mohammad Ishaq, and Nangyal Kharoti.
Afghanistan Preliminary Squad for Tri-Series and Asia Cup 2025
Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Nangyal Kharoti, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Farid Malik, Saleem Safi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmad.
Tri-Series Schedule (All matches in Sharjah, 7pm local time):
August 29 – Afghanistan vs Pakistan
August 30 – UAE vs Pakistan
September 1 – UAE vs Afghanistan
September 2 – Pakistan vs Afghanistan
September 4 – Pakistan vs UAE
September 5 – Afghanistan vs UAE
September 7 – Final
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