Afghanistan announce T20I squad for Bangladesh series

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) recently announced a 16-man squad for their upcoming T20I series versus Bangladesh. The tour consists of three matches, which will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Dehradun from June 3 onwards. Previously, the series was scheduled to be an ODI series, however, bearing in mind the 2020 World T20, the fixtures were altered.

The Afghans have put a formidable squad, which can give the best of teams a run for their money. The team will be led by Asghar Stanikzai, who has the experience of captaining the team in major ICC events. Mohammad Shahzad is one of their leading run-scorers and also possess the ability to take the best of bowling lineups to the cleaners.

Some of them including the likes of Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been phenomenal in the IPL and they will be keen to replicate their form in the international arena as well. The team also boasts of power-hitters like Najibullah Zadran and Shafiqullah Shafaq, who have played several match-winning knocks for them over the years.

The experience and reliable attributes of Samiullah Shenwari also are expected to the vital. Moreover, his wily leg-breaks can be handy on sub-continent conditions. However, they won’t have the services of Dawlat Zadran who suffered a knee injury and has been ruled out of the series.

Hence, a chunk of the responsibility of the fast-bowling department will be shouldered by Shapoor Zadran, the left-arm pacer, and Aftab Alam. Last year, Afghanistan were granted Test status and they will be playing their maiden Test versus India at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore from June 14.

The squad

Asghar Stanikzai (capt), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Najibullah Tarakai, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shenwari, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Shapoor Zadran, Aftab Alam

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