Afghanistan Cricket Board’s (ACB) on Tuesday said the National Selection Committee has finalized the squad for the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh next month.

The series will be played from November 6 to 11 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.

Top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran has not been included as he is still recovering from ankle surgery.

The team will also be without the expertise of its frontline spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is still recovering from an injury.

However, talented left-hand top-order batter Sediqullah Atal, with six T20I caps, has been called up to cover for the Zadran.

Atal has impressed with his performances in the domestic season and is currently leading the batting charts in the ongoing ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024.

Noor Ahmad, who missed the three-match ODI series against South Africa, has also been recalled for the Bangladesh ODIs.

The rest of the squad remains the same as that selected for the ODI series last month against South Africa. This lineup led Afghanistan to a 2-1 victory in Sharjah.

In a statement issued Tuesday, ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said: "The calendar year 2024 has been action-packed and quite successful for the ACB and the AfghanAtalan lineup, particularly in white-ball cricket.

“ODI cricket has been a top priority for us, as it helps us prepare the team for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy.”

He added: “Playing against Bangladesh has always been challenging and full of joy. I believe the group of players selected for this series will perform exceptionally well and bring more glory to our nation.”

ACB Chief Selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil said: "Ibrahim Zadran is currently undergoing rehabilitation and continues to recover from the surgery he recently had.

“Mujeeb Ur Rahman also remains unavailable due to ongoing treatment. However, Noor Ahmad is back in the squad, and we have included a promising top-order batter in Sediqullah Atal, who has impressed everyone with his consistent top performances."

Afghanistan Squad for the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh is as follows:

Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.

Hong Kong left Afghanistan A stunned on Tuesday in their final group match of the ACC T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024, chasing down 132 with three balls to spare at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman.

Despite Afghanistan A’s loss, they had already secured a spot in Friday’s semifinals.

The tournament began on October 18 and will run through until October 27 in Muscat, Oman.

Organized by the Asian Cricket Council, the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 involves eight teams, which have been divided into two groups of four teams each.

The tournament is staged in a T20 format for the first time since its inception in 2013.

Group A has Afghanistan A, Bangladesh A, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka A. Hosts Oman, arch-rivals India A, Pakistan A and the United Arab Emirates are clubbed in Group B.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 semi-finals.

The winner of Group A will face the runner-up in Group B in the first semi-final while the top-placed team in Group B will face the second-placed team in Group A in the other semi-final.

The winners of the two semi-finals will lock horns in the final on October 27.

Pakistan A won the previous edition of the ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup after they defeated India A by 128 runs in the 2023 final in Colombo. Pakistan A also won the tournament previously in 2019.

Meanwhile, India A won the inaugural edition of the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in 2013 while Sri Lanka won the next two editions in 2017 and 2018.

The Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) on Monday announced Usmon Toshev from Uzbekistan had been appointed as the new head coach of the national football team.

Toshev, who has signed a one-year contract, succeeds Ashley Michael Westwood, the English coach who stepped down in August. 

Toshev has previously served as the head coach of Tajikistan.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Toshev said he would focus on key issues including team cohesion, talent identification programs, and organizing training camps inside and outside Afghanistan.

He said his goal is to strengthen the position of the Afghanistan national football team on both regional and global levels.

Toshev graduated from Bukhara University in 1987 with a degree in sports education. Between 1988 and 1999 Toshev played for numerous clubs, both in Uzbekistan and abroad - in Russia, Hungary and Greece. 

In 1994 Toshev made two appearances for the Uzbekistan national team, in matches against Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

He retired from playing football in 1999 but immediately went on to coach teams. 

In 2000 he was appointed head coach of Bukhara; a post he held until 2008. 

In 2006 he also coached the national team for a while, under Russian coach Valery Nepomnyashchy. 

In 2009–2011 he was the head coach of another Uzbek club, Spartak Tashkent before moving on to Nasaf. In 2013, he coached Spartak Bukhara.

In 2014 and 2015 he was head coach of Afghanistan’s De Maiwand Atalan club before returning to Uzbekistan. 

He has since coached Uzbekisan’s U16 team, Afghanistan’s Toofan Harrirud and in November 2018 he was appointed manager of the Tajikistan national under-23 football team and head coach of Tajikistan’s national team.