KABUL: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) named a 17-member squad on Wednesday for the forthcoming triangular series against Pakistan and hosts the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The series is slated to be contested in Sharjah from August 29 to September 7.
The ace all-rounder Rashid Khan will lead the side ahead of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 with only one change from their squad for the marquee event.
Pacer Naveen ul Haq has been replaced with uncapped pacer Abdullah Ahmadzai. Fazalhaq Farooqi will lead the pace attack comprising Farid Malik and Karim Janat.
Meanwhile, the formidable spin department will be led by Rashid Khan, with the likes of experienced Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, alongside the young talents of Noor Ahmad and Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar.
Follow us on our OfficialΒ WhatsApp channel
Notably, mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar will be in line to make his debut in the series.
The batting lineup will be bolstered by batters Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, with Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Ishaq, and Sediqullah Atal.
For the uninitiated, Afghanistan will kick off their tri-series campaign against Pakistan in the opening match of the tournament on Friday, August 29, before taking on the hosts, the UAE, on September 1.
Afghanistan squad for UAE tri-series
Rashid Khan (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Schedule for T20I Tri-Series in UAE
29 August β Afghanistan v Pakistan β 7pm local time
30 August β UAE v Pakistan β 7pm local time
1 September β UAE v Afghanistan β 7pm local time
2 September β Pakistan v Afghanistan β 7pm local time
4 September β Pakistan v UAE β 7 pm local time
5 September β Afghanistan v UAE β 7pm local time
7 September β Final β 7 pm local time
READ: Babar, Rizwan not suited for T20 cricket, says former Pakistan coach