ACB Announces Squad for South Africa ODIs

Kabul, September 12, 2024: The Afghanistan Cricket Board National Selection Committee today named the Afghanistan National Team 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 the UAE.

Afghanistan will be without prolific top-order batsman Ibrahim Zadran who has been ruled out of the series with a left ankle injury. The AfghanAtalan line-up will continue to be without the expertise of frontline spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is yet to fully recover from a right knuckle fracture.

Talented right-hand top-order batsman Abdul Malik, who has been in impressive form in the domestic List A competition of late, has been called up to replace the injured Ibrahim Zadran. Darwish Rasooli, who has played 7 T20Is so far and was consistent in the recent List A Cup and SCL9, has been called up to the national team for the South Africa series.

The AfghanAtalan line-up will also be bolstered by all-time leading spinner Rashid Khan, who missed the previous ODI series against Ireland. The rest of the squad remains the same as the one that helped Afghanistan win the 3-match ODI series 2-0 against Ireland in March this year.

ACB CEO Mr. Naseeb Khan: “Hosting South Africa for the first time in our cricket history is a huge milestone for Afghanistan Cricket. They are a top-quality team and playing against them in an ODI series is something we are all excited about.”

“Our team has shown great performances in the ICC for the last two to 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 will not be available for selection. Ibrahim Zadran will also miss the South Africa ODIs as he sprained his ankle in the New Zealand Test. However, we have included some accomplished youngsters like Abdul Malik and Darwish Rasooli. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar is also a talented cricketer and has shown great skills recently and will replace Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the series.”

Afghanistan squad for 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 set to be the co-sponsor for Afghanistan’s three-match home ODI series against South Africa.

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Commercial Department

Afghanistan Cricket Board