On Wednesday, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) unveiled its 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 in India in October and November.
Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead the team, featuring three reserve players: Gulbadin Naib, Sharafudin Ashraf, and Farid Ahmad Malik.
Azmatullah Omarzai makes a comeback after recovering from an injury that kept him out during the Asia Cup. Naveen ul-Haq, who last featured in a List A game in 2021, also returns to the squad. Naveen has seven ODIs, with 14 wickets at an average of 25.42.
Despite an impressive ODI comeback in the Pakistan series, where he claimed crucial openers’ wickets and a four-wicket haul against Sri Lanka, Gulbadin Naib has been omitted from the squad.
The squad maintains a familiar composition, particularly in the spin department, with the presence of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Noor Ahmad. Naveen makes a comeback in the pace department and joins Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, and Omarzai, strengthening the bowling lineup.
Afghanistan’s World Cup squad includes Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, and Naveen ul Haq. Their campaign kicks off against Bangladesh in Dharamsala on October 7.
