Afghanistan names squad for Bangladesh ODI and T20I series

Afghanistan has named their squads for the upcoming ODI and T20I series against Bangladesh.

Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead the side in the ODIs, slated to begin from February 23rd while Mohammad Nabi will captain the side in the T20Is.

The T20Is will count towards the ICC T20I Rankings, while the ODIs will be part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League.

There are five changes to the T20I lineup from the T20 World Cup last year with Darwish Rasooli, Azmarullah Omarzai, Afsar Zazai, Qais Ahmad and Nijat Masoud replacing Asghar Afghan (retired), Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Shahzad, Hashmatullah, Hamid Hassan and Naveen ul Haq in the 16-member side.

According to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) there are a few changes to the ODI side as well.

“From the 18 players who were part of the recently-concluded ODI series against the Netherlands, Usman Ghani has been left out, while top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran and the senior all-rounder Mohammad Nabi have been added to the 16-man squad, while Salim Safi and Qais Ahmad have been named as traveling reserve.”

ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf said: “The selectors have included some young faces to the ODI line up which is a good sign for us, as we are leading into the World Cup next year. The three ODIs are important for us and I am sure the squad carries enough strength to do well when they get to the field”.

The Afghan team arrived in Dhaka on Saturday and will spend seven days in training ahead of their ODI series.

The first T20I is scheduled for March 3 while the second and final T20I will take place on March 5.