Afghanistan drop Mohammad Nabi for UAE T20I series, Rashid Khan to lead 18-member squad

Afghanistan have left out Mohammad Nabi as they named an 18-member squad for their upcoming T20I series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Back in November 2022, Nabi stepped down as the skipper in the shortest format after his team’s campaign in the T20 World Cup on Australian soil.

In Nabi’s absence, Rashid Khan will lead the team. The Afghans have included Rahmat Shah and Zahir Khan Pakteen, who are both regulars in the national ODI setup, in their squad.

Afsar Zazai, Noor Ahmad, Nijat Masood and Karim Janat have returned to the squad. Spin-bowling all-rounder Sharafuddin Ashraf, who was in the reserves for the T20 World Cup in Australia, has also earned a recall.

Qais Ahmad, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Saleem, and Usman Ghani are among other omissions from the



Afghan squad.

"We don't take any team lightly and have always tended to completely prepare the squad for any event. The team has been in the UAE for around 10 days as it was getting ready for the series," Mirwais Ashraf, the ACB chairman, was quoted as saying.

The three T20Is will take place on February 16, 18 and 19 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The series is a part of a 5-year agreement between Afghanistan Cricket Board and Emirates Cricket Board.

Afghanistan squad

Rashid Khan (Capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Afsar Zazai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Karim Janat, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Naveen-ul-Haq, Nijat Masood, Noor Ahmad, Rahmat Shah, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Zahir Khan