With the Asia Cup set to kick off in the UAE on September 9, Afghanistan finds itself in Group B alongside Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong. The tournament will open with Afghanistan taking on Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi. As teams gear up for the competition, Afghanistan’s preliminary squad announcement has raised eyebrows due to the absence of several key players.
Before the Asia Cup, Afghanistan will participate in a tri-nation series with hosts UAE and Pakistan, also to be held in the UAE. For both the tri-series and the Asia Cup, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has named a 22-member preliminary squad, led by regular skipper and star leg-spinner Rashid Khan.
However, the squad notably excludes fellow spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman. Despite recovering from an injury and impressing in the domestic Shpageeza Cricket League where he took 13 wickets in 9 matches and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker Mujeeb has not been selected. He also contributed 48 runs with the bat in four innings, but that wasn’t enough to earn him a spot.
Another surprising omission is Najibullah Zadran, Afghanistan’s third-highest run-scorer in T20 internationals. Known for his explosive hitting, Najibullah has scored 1,830 runs in 107 T20Is at an average of 29 and a strike rate of 137.80. His ability to clear the boundary with ease has long made him a valuable asset, yet he’s missing from the 22-man list.
The final squad for both tournaments will consist of 15 or 16 players drawn from this preliminary list, making it nearly impossible for those not initially selected to make a late entry.
Afghanistan’s Preliminary Squad:
Rashid Khan (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasuli, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Nangyal Kharoti, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mujeeb Zadran, Allahmohammed Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Farid Malik, Salim Safi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmed.
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