Rashid Khan returns as Afghanistan announce squad for 2024 AFG vs SA ODI Series
Afghanistan have announced their 15-man squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa. The series is set to be played in Sharjah from September 18 to 22.
Most of the senior players have retained their spots, including the likes of Gulbadin Naib and Mohammad Nabi. Rashid Khan returns to the side after missing the team's last ODI series against Ireland and the one-off Test against New Zealand due to a back issue.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Ibrahim Zadran are the notable absentees. The spinner is yet to recover from a right phalanx sprain while Zadran misses out due to an ankle sprain in his left leg. Abdul Malik and Darwish Rasooli make up for their absence in the squad.
Afghanistan's chief selector, Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil, said while announcing the squad:
"Mujeeb Ur Rahman continues to recover from his injury and is unavailable for selection. Ibrahim Zadran will also miss the South Africa ODIs for twisting his ankle on the edge of the New Zealand Test. However, we have included some of the top-performing youngsters in Abdul Malik and Darwish Rasooli. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar is also a talented cricketer and has demonstrated excellent skills recently and will cover for Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the series."
Afghanistan's squad for the South Africa ODIs: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.
South Africa and Afghanistan to play a 3-ODI series at Sharjah
Afghanistan will take on South Africa in a three-match ODI series, with all the games scheduled to be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The three games will be played on September 18, 20 and 22, respectively.
South Africa will stay put in the UAE for a two-match T20I series and a three-ODI rubber against Ireland. The T20Is will be played on September 27 and 29, while the ODI series will be played from October 2 to 7. All the matches will be played at the Sheikh Zayed International Stadium, Abu Dhabi