Afghanistan have announced their 17-member squad for the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup, which will be played in the T20 format. Rashid Khan will lead the team while Naveen-ul-Haq has returned to play for the first time this year.
Afghanistan has announced its 17-member squad, led by Rashid Khan, for the upcoming Asia Cup, which will be played from September 9 to 28. Fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq is set to make his comeback after last playing for his country in December 2024, having retired from ODIs and Afghanistan featured in the 50-over format majorly this year.
Notably, Afghanistan haven’t played T20 cricket this year, with their last series happening against Zimbabwe in December 2024. From that squad, only two players have been dropped: Hazratullah Zazai and Zubaid Akbari while Ibrahim Zadran and Sharafuddin Ashraf have made their comeback after missing out on the Zimbabwe tour.
The selectors have also named three reserve players who will be included if any of the 17-member squad gets injured. Wafiullah Tarakhil, Nangyal Kharote, and Abdullah Ahmadzai are among the standbys for the Asia Cup.
Afghanistan to face Hong Kong in Asia Cup opener
As for their schedule, Afghanistan will face Hong Kong in the opening game of the Asia Cup on September 9. The other teams in their group are Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and it will be a fierce battle to make it to the Super Four as only two sides from each group will progress.
Afghanistan to feature in tri-series before Asia Cup
As a part of the preparation for the Asia Cup, Afghanistan will feature in the tri-series against the UAE and Pakistan, with the tournament starting on August 29. With Dubai and Abu Dhabi set to host the Asia Cup matches, all the games of this tri-series will take place in Sharjah. This series will certainly help them gear up for the continental event. Meanwhile, ACB has confirmed that the 22-member squad announced earlier for the camp will feature in the tri-series.
Afghanistan squad for Asia Cup 2025: Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Allah Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Farid Malik, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Reserve Players – Wafiullah Tarakhil, Nangyal Kharote, Abdullah Ahmadzai
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