The National Selection Committee of the Afghanistan Cricket Board has selected the team for the three-match ODI series against South Africa, which will take place at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates from September 18 to 22.
Due to an ankle sprain in his left leg, Ibrahim Zadran, an efficient top-order batsman, will not be available for Afghanistan during this series. Due to his incomplete recovery from a sprain to his right phalanx, AfghanAtalan’s frontline spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman will continue to be missed from the lineup.
Abdul Malik, a gifted right-hand top-order batsman who lately displayed amazing feats in domestic List A events, has been called up to fill in for the injured Zadran. Darwish Rasooli, who has already earned seven T20I 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 remainder of the team is the same as it was when Afghanistan defeated Ireland 2-0 in a three-match ODI series back in March of this year.
“An enormous accomplishment for Afghanistan Cricket is to host South Africa for the first time in our history as cricketers. We are all thrilled to be taking against them in an ODI series because they are a very good team’, ACB CEO Naseeb Khan stated. “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.”
Also Read: AFG vs NZ 2024, Only Test:, Greater Noida anguish continues with fourth day washed out, match likely to be abandoned
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.
Afghanistan Squad for the three-match ODI series:
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.
Afghanistan vs South Africa ODI series fixtures
Date | Match | Venue |
18th September, 2024 | 1st ODI | Sharjah |
18th September, 2024 | 2nd ODI | Sharjah |
18th September, 2024 | 3rd ODI | Sharjah |