For the upcoming ODI series in Bangladesh, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) selected 18 senior players to be a part of the team. The one-day series comprising three One Day Internationals will be held between November 6 and 11 at the famous Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE.
Afghanistan, in particular, tends to look forward to posting strong performances following a splendid series win against South Africa.
Key Players Missing from the Afghanistan Line-Up
The Afghanistan squad looks to have some serious losses here. Zimbabwe will be without attacking top-order batsman Ibrahim Zadran, who would have usually been fit because of an ankle surgery, which needs him to get some time off. His absence is really a loss to the team’s batting line because he has delivered well for the Afghanistan team in many of the past games.
In a similar manner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is arguably the best spinner bowler in Afghanistan, will not be playing in this series because of a finger injury. His absence is a big loss for the spin department, as Mujeeb is an economical bowler and can pick up big wickets in the middle overs.
Sediqullah Atal Replacement Named
In a bid to strengthen its batting department in Zadran’s absence, the Afghan Cricket Board has added the left-handed batsman Atal to the final squad list. Atal, a young Afghan cricketer, has already played T20 internationally in six matches and is now leading as a top scorer in the Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup.
Atal has been a raw Maxwell-type bowler who is aggressive with the bat and a consistent player in domestic cricket, and the inclusion of Atal will add another dimension to Afghanistan’s batting department. He established his potential in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup, and this ODI series is perfect for him to empower his credentials in the fifty-over style of the game.
Noor Ahmad returns to Strengthen Spin Department
The ODI spin bowling line-up of Afghanistan gets a boost with the return of Noor Ahmad, who wasn’t part of the series against South Africa. Noor Ahmad is also another young left-arm wrist spinner with immense potential to create a difference for Afghanistan when it comes to bowling.
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His presence alongside the star spinner Rashid Khan and other quality bowlers like Mohammad Nabi and AM Ghazanfar gives Afghanistan an excellent spin bowling stock, which is always useful given the condition of the Sharjah pitch that is friendly to spin bowlers.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz: Leading the Batting Attack
Arguably Afghanistan cricket’s brightest young talent, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, has been in stellar form, especially in the T20 format. In the previous year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, where he was Afghanistan’s leading run-getter, Rahmat Shah once again proved his worth as a top-order batter.
Finally, there is Gurbaz—an extremely attacking player with a remarkable ability to take big scores off the fastest bowlers. He will be a huge supporter for Afghanistan as they aim for competitive scores against the Tigers. His form will be important in the upcoming series, and fans sit and wait to see him blast away again.
Captaincy and Leadership: Hashmatullah Shahidi
The Afghan ODI team will be skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, and the vice captain will be Rahmat Shah. Shahidi has been calm and consistent as a batsman as well as a captain. He has shown capacity to take responsibility for some innings and being able to mentor junior talent, thus being a good captain.
Rahmat Shah, the vice captain, also has valuable experience in the team and has been a decent performer in top order. Altogether, Shahidi and Rahmat Shah will play significant roles so as to restore the stability and governance of the team, particularly in the most complex moments.
Multi-talented cricketers and biggies
Afghanistan has preferred to play with experienced all-rounders and big hitters of the team, which will give them the option of both the batting and bowling arias. Players like Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib are not only experienced players on the team but also versatile players who can adapt in any condition of the game.
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Keshav Maharaj (South Africa), Mohammed Nabi (Afghanistan), Ravindra Jadeja (India), and Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) were another valuable off-spinner all-rounders with special talent in the lower middle order batting department. Another all-round cricketer, Azmatullah Omarzai, will strengthen the team, as he can both bowl and bat.
This balance proves beneficial to Afghanistan, so if they require some quick runs or a break through in middle overs, they have an advantage.
The young guns and emerging talents
This series has a number of young, talented players in its squad who have performed well at both domestic and international level cricket in Afghanistan. Darwish Rasooli, Riaz Hassan, or Nangyal Kharoti fall under these coming generations.
They have excelled in these two formats, and as the coming series is also scheduled in this format, this will ensure that they get an opportunity to learn how to play the one-day format.
The core of the future Afghanistan pace attack seems to be held by two talented young bowlers, Naveed Zadran and Bilal Sami, who have also been included.
Fixture Details and Venue
The three-match ODI series is scheduled to take place as follows:
- 1st ODI: November 6th, 2024, at Sharjah Cricket Stadium UAE.
- 2nd ODI: If it were the final one day: November 9, 2024, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE.
- 3rd ODI: 11th November 2024 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE.
Sharjah cricket stadium, famous for slow wickets, will be an acid test for both teams, but importantly for Afghanistan, their spinners will play a major role in disintegrating the Bangladeshi batting line-up.
Squad Overview
Afghanistan’s ODI squad for the series includes:
- Captain: Hashmatullah Shahidi
- Vice Captain: Rahmat Shah
- Wicketkeepers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ikram Alikhil
- Batsmen: Riaz Hassan, Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, and Darwish Rasooli
- All-rounders: Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib
- Spinners: Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Nangyal Kharoti, Ashfaq AM Ghazanfar
- Fast Bowlers: Taliban players include Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran, and Farid Ahmad Malik.
This evenly manned-up team represents Afghanistan’s approach to recruiting both tested players as well as prodigious talents with the aim of achieving a stable as well as a vibrant team.
Afghanistan’s Aim for a Strong Start
As Afghanistan sets up to play Bangladesh, the team will be majoring in areas that have strength, especially the spinning department, which is perfect for Sharjah. Afghanistan has the ability to harm Bangladesh’s batters, especially Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad, who were expecting helping conditions for spin bowlers.
The bowling unit is their strong suite, with players like Gurbaz at one end and some experienced cricketers like Shahidi and Nabi at the other end. Their batting would try to post competitive totals to bowl out the opposition, or else they would try to chase down the totals with ease.
A Promising Series Awaits
The Afghanistan vs. Bangladesh ODI series looks set to be an entertaining one since both teams have veterans and a few new faces. This series is not just preparation for Afghanistan but an opportunity for it to build a better shape of the ODI game and a more consistent team.
The audience should keep their fingers crossed for high-stake cricket and, ideally, preparation for Afghanistan cricket as a team as they head into the ICC Champions Trophy.
Source Link: https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/afghanistan-announce-squad-for-odi-series-against-bangladesh