Afghanistan Monday introduced a 16-man squad for the three-match Twenty20 worldwide collection in opposition to Sri Lanka, aiming to organize strongly for this yr’s World Cup.
Ibrahim Zadran will proceed to steer the squad as common Twenty20 skipper Rashid Khan remains to be recovering from a again surgical procedure.
The three matches will probably be performed — all in Dambulla — on February 17, 19 and 21 February following the conclusion of one-day worldwide collection on Wednesday.
Lacking Rashid badly, Afghanistan misplaced the one-off Check and path the three-match ODI collection 2-0 in opposition to host Sri Lanka.
Afghanistan’s chief selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil stated the T20 World Cup is the goal.
“We have now a detailed eye on the upcoming T20 World Cup for which we need to put together an excellent mixture of gamers consisting of each juniors and seniors,” Sulimankhil is quoted in a Afghanistan Cricket Board launch.
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“This collection alongside the three T20Is in opposition to Eire in March is an efficient alternative for us to check our bench power and finalise a very good squad for the mega occasion.”
The T20 World Cup will probably be held in the USA and the West Indies in June this yr.
One other key spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman additionally misses out on the squad after sustaining a sprain in his proper hand earlier than the beginning of the ODI collection in opposition to Sri Lanka.
Quick bowler Mohammad Saleem Safi, who was a part of the Afghanistan squad for the India tour final month, has been ignored on account of a hamstring pressure and is changed by Wafadar Momand.
Squad
Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Ishaq Rahimi, Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Wafadar Momand, Qais Ahmad