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Afghanistan revealed their 15-person squad for the next ICC World Cup 2023 on Wednesday (September 13). For the major match, fast bowlers Naveen-Ul-Haq and Azmatullah Omarzai have rejoined the ODI team.
Due to injuries, both players had just missed the Asia Cup. Due to a knee ailment, Naveen-Ul-Haq hasn’t participated in a competitive game since June. Since January 2021, the right-arm pacer has not participated in an ODI. Omarzai, on the other hand, participated in the ODI series last month against Pakistan but was forced to withdraw from the Asia Cup due to a side strain.
The Afghanistan World Cup team features four different players from the group that just finished competing in the Asia Cup. Senior all-arounder Gulbadin Naib is one of the greatest omissions. Despite performing well in the Asia Cup, the all-rounder, who captained Afghanistan in the previous ODI World Cup, was left out.
Naib played in 4 games, took 8 wickets, and hit more than 50 runs, but he was not selected for the tournament. Along with him, Karim Janat, Sharafuddin Ashraf, and Suliman Safi were left off the roster despite being selected for the Asia Cup team. After a six-year hiatus, Janat had rejoined the Afghan team.
With the exception of Naib’s exclusion, the squad does not include many major surprises. The batting order will be handled by players like Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim, and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi. Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Noor Ahmad will handle the spin department, while Naveen, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, and Omarzai will handle the tempo department.
Afghanistan World Cup squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz(wk), 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, Naveen ul Haq.
