ACB Name Squad for the South Africa ODIs

Kabul, September 12, 2024: The Afghanistan National Team's squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa, which is set to take place at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates, was confirmed today by the Afghanistan Cricket Board's National Selection Committee.

Afghanistan will be without the services of the prolific top-order hitter Ibrahim Zadran who has been ruled out of the series owing to an ankle sprain in his left leg. Due to his incomplete recovery from a sprain to his right phalanx, AfghanAtalan Lineup will continue to lose the experience of its frontline spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Abdul Malik, a gifted right-handed top-order hitter who lately displayed amazing feats in domestic List A events, has been called up to fill in for the injured Ibrahim Zadran. Darwish Rasooli, who has already earned seven Twenty20 international caps, has been called up to the national team for the South Africa Series. Rasooli has shown amazing consistency in his performances in the just concluded SCL9 and the List A Cup.

Rashid Khan, the all-time greatest spinner for AfghanAtalan, will also be available, having missed the recent ODI series against Ireland. The rest of the team is unchanged from the one that supported Afghanistan to a 2-nil victory over Ireland in the three-match ODI series back in March of this year.

"Host[ing] South Africa for the first time in our cricketing history is a huge milestone for Afghanistan Cricket," said ACB CEO Mr. Naseeb Khan. We are all thrilled to be taking on them in an ODI series because they are a very good team.

"Over the last two to three years, our team has performed admirably in ICC events, and our goal is to raise our level of competition in bilateral cricket." He continued

Mr. Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil, Chief Selector of the ACB: "Mujeeb Ur Rahman is not available for selection as he continues to recuperate from his injuries. Due to an ankle twist sustained during the New Zealand Test, Ibrahim Zadran will also be absent from the South Africa ODI series. Nonetheless, Abdul Malik and Darwish Rasooli are two of the young athletes that are performing at the highest level. In the series, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, a gifted cricketer who recently displayed exceptional abilities, will fill in for Mujeeb Ur Rahman. 

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 are the Afghanistan squad for their three-match ODI series against Ireland.

The three-match home ODI series between Afghanistan and South Africa is being sponsored by Kymco and Super Cola Beverages Manufacturing Company, with Etisalat Afghanistan Telecommunication Company serving as the title sponsor. 
 

Series Schedule: