Full list of Premium Afghans players for American Premier League 2023 ft. Samiullah Shinwari and Usman Ghani
The 2023 edition of the American Premier League (APL) is all set to be staged from December 19 to 31 at the Moosa Stadium in Houston, Texas.
Premium Afghans are one of the seven teams that will be taking part in the tournament. They will be captained by Ihsanullah Janat, who has played for the Afghanistan cricket team.
The 25-year-old has played three Tests, 16 ODIs, and one T20I for the national team. He has scored 437 runs with four half-centuries and last donned the national jersey in November 2019.
Usman Ghani was named Janat's deputy for the American Premier League 2023. In 17 ODIs and 35 T20Is for Afghanistan, the right-handed batter has scored over 1200 runs, including one century and six half-centuries.
He last played for Afghanistan in the bilateral T20I series against Pakistan earlier this year at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Samiullah Shinwari, although out of contention for a place in the national team, is one of the most prolific all-rounders in Afghan cricket. He played a crucial role when Afghanistan won their maiden World Cup match in 2015 against Scotland.
In 84 ODIs and 65 T20Is, Shinwari has scored 1811 and 1013 runs, respectively with 13 half-centuries. He has also picked up 74 wickets in limited-overs cricket with two four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul.
His experience is going to hold a lot of importance for the Premium Afghans in the American Premier League 2023.
Former England cricketer Samit Patel will represent Premium Afghans in the APL 2023. He is among the most experienced cricketers in the T20 circuit, having represented franchise teams across 10 leagues.
The 39-year-old has represented MI Emirates, World Giants, Trinbago Knight Riders, and Melbourne Renegades, among others.
Dawlat Ahmadzai has been named as the head coach of the team, while Masood Afridi will serve as his assistant.
Premium Afghans squad for American Premier League 2023
Squad: Ihsanullah Janat (C), Usman Ghani (VC), Samiullah Shinwari, Abdul Wasi, Yousuf Zazai, Samit Patel, Abuzar Safi, Atiq Niazi, Jamahid Mir Ali Khil, Waqarullah Ishaq, Jay G Patel, Noman Bardasht, Obaidullah Aslami, Saboor Hairan, Venkat Maheesh Kolahalam
International Reserves: Bilal Khan, Mehran Khan, Sulaiman Arabzai
Local Reserves: Samim Asifi, Noor Hassan Ahmadzai, Kamran Hotak
Management: Dawlat Ahmadzai (Head Coach), Masood Afridi (Assistant Coach), Noor Alam Farid (Team Manager), Shekib Rahimi (Operations Manager)