During the forthcoming three-match T20I series against Pakistan, seasoned all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has been brought back to Afghanistan’s T20I team. With Afghanistan’s elimination from the T20 World Cup in 2022, Nabi resigned as captain. He was left off the team for the match against UAE last month. Rahmat Shah and Hazratullah Zazai were dropped from the team, while Nijat Masood and Zahir Khan were moved to the reserves, among other alterations from the lineup that faced UAE in three T20Is last month. Nabi’s last appearance for Afghanistan came in the ODI series against Sri Lanka in November of last year, shortly after he had resigned as the T20I captain following the T20 World Cup.
The 17-person team was revealed by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on March 21. Hard-hitting opener Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmat Shah were conspicuous omissions. Zazai, who now holds the record for Afghanistan’s greatest T20I score, had gone 14 T20I innings without recording a half-century. Rahmat Shah, though, has yet to play in a T20I. Sediqullah Atal, an uncapped opener, has been given his first call-up to the team. The squad will be joined by the reserves Nijat Masoud, Zahir Khan, and Nangyal Karoti. The team that faced UAE included Masoud and Zahir as well.
“”Our squad has been working hard in [the] training camp, and selectors have chosen the best available players for the series,”” stated Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) CEO Naseeb Khan. “” My team will give it their all and will honorably represent our nation, I have trust in that. We wish our team well in the series and anticipate seeing them win.”” “”A thrilling matchup between two top clubs is something else we anticipate. Both nations have ardent sports supporters who follow their clubs with pride and enthusiasm. We have a particular link since we live next to each other, and we want to show off not just our cricketing prowess but also the spirit of camaraderie and sportsmanship “”He went further.
Instead of the three ODIs that Afghanistan was supposed to play against Australia during the same time period, the T20I series against Pakistan was put on the schedule. Australia withdrew from that series after the Taliban government, which is currently in power, announced that it would no longer allow girls to attend university. After consulting with the Australian government, Cricket Australia made the choice. According to PCB chairman Najam Sethi, “”cricket and politics should be kept apart,”” but the T20Is against Afghanistan will still go through. Pakistan revealed their starting squad for this series on Monday, resting seasoned players Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Fakhar Zaman. Pakistan will be led by all-around performer Shadab Khan.
March 24 will mark the start of the three-T20I series. Shadab Khan had been selected captain of the series earlier by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Senior athletes Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi have all been given the day off in addition to Babar Azam.
