(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup, set to take place in India from October 5.
Notably, Gulbadin Naib, Riaz Hassan, Karim Janat, Suliman Safi, and Sharafuddin Ashraf, who were part of their Asia Cup 2023 squad, have been dropped from the team. Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead the side.
Interestingly, there is a surprise entry in the form of Naveen-ul-Haq, who has been out of the ODI team since 2021. Naveen played his last ODI for Afghanistan in January 2021. Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai has also made a comeback in the squad after missing out on the Asia Cup 2023 due to a side strain.
Afghanistan will start their campaign in the World Cup with a game against Bangladesh scheduled at Dharamsala on October 7, followed by matches against India, England, and New Zealand on the 11th, 15th, and 18th of the same month, respectively.
Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Abdul Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Riaz Hassan
Reserve players: Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Farid Ahmad Malik