Afghanistan name almost the same squad for UAE tri-series, with 16 of the 17 players also picked for the Asia Cup.
Afghanistan pick 16 of 17 Asia Cup squad members for UAE tri-series.
Afghanistan will play Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates in a Twenty20 International event that begins in Sharjah on Friday, giving them ample opportunity to practise and learn more about their Asia Cup opponents. They’ve named practically the same roster for both events, with only Naveen-ul-Haq missing from the tri-series.
The squad consists of 17 players, including Abdollah Ahmadzai. The 22-year-old fast bowler, who has taken 14 wickets in 10 Twenty20 matches, has been selected for the Asia Cup reserves and is still awaiting his first international cap. Since the conclusion of the Champions Trophy in February 2025, these will be Afghanistan’s first white-ball matches.
With a formidable spin unit that includes captain Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Noor Ahmad, mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar is expected to make his T20I debut in the UAE tri-series.
Ibrahim Zadran, who was left out of Afghanistan’s final Twenty20 International match in Zimbabwe in December 2024, will also make his comeback for the tri-series. Despite being a member of the Asia Cup reserves, left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote has also been left out of that squad. After not playing T20Is since the 2024 World Cup, Zadran is back.
Afghanistan and Pakistan will begin the tri-series, which consists of two round-robin matches amongst the three countries before the top two teams compete in the championship on September 7. Afghanistan will only have one day off if they make it to the final before playing Hong Kong in their first Asia Cup match on September 9. On September 10 and 12, respectively, the UAE and Pakistan will play their opening Asia Cup matches.