The Afghanistan Cricket Board has published the official list of players representing Afghanistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Mohammed Nabi will be leading the team in the tournament. You can find the confirmed team squad for Afghanistan on this page.
The ICC has announced the complete schedule for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which will be held in India between October and November 2023. A total of 45 matches are scheduled for this major cricket event.
Afghanistan, considered the most improved ODI cricket team in Asia, has confirmed that it will participate in the Super 10 stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
This will be Afghanistan's third consecutive appearance in the Cricket World Cup, but they have not performed well in the previous editions of the tournament. However, with a new team lineup and a new captain, Afghanistan will aim to improve their performance in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
Undoubtedly, Afghanistan remains one of the most formidable ODI teams globally. In the recent ODI series, they impressed everyone with their astonishing performances, and they will pose a significant threat to other emerging teams in the upcoming event.
In the past few months, Afghanistan has managed to identify the ideal combinations for the 50-overs format. The team now boasts top-quality ODI batsmen, world-class spin bowlers, and some excellent pace attacks in their squad.
On September 15th, the Afghanistan Cricket Board revealed their anticipated playing squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which included some slight adjustments to the team lineup.
Afghanistan's performance under the captaincy of Muhammad Nabi was disappointing, and as a result, the selection committee has made some significant changes. Here is the Afghanistan team lineup for the Cricket World Cup 2023.
AFGHANISTAN TEAM LINE UP
MOHAMMAD NABI ( CAPTAIN )
Mohammad Nabi, Afghanistan's current captain, picked up a cricket bat at the young age of 10 while living in a refugee camp in Peshawar. He developed his skills through countless hours of cricket before receiving formal training at Arshad Khan's academy in Peshawar.
Since then, Nabi has played in 40 ODIs and has been a crucial contributor to Afghanistan's success as a cricketing nation. In 2010, he was appointed as captain. Throughout his career, he has scored seven fifties, with his highest score being 77 against the United Arab Emirates in May 2014. His best bowling performance was 4-31 against Canada in 2011.
NABIJULLAH ZADRAN ( VICE-CAPTAIN )
Najibullah Zadran, a left-handed batsman who bowls right-arm off-break, played for Afghanistan Under-19s during the 2011 Under-19 World Cup Qualifier held in Ireland. He started playing T20 cricket for Afghan Cheetahs in the Faysal Bank T20 Cup, where he scored 58 runs in three matches, averaging 29 with a highest score of 51 not out.
In July 2012, Najibullah made his ODI debut against Ireland and managed to score 23 runs in the match.
He made his T20I debut during the T20 World Cup in September 2012 against India. Despite his struggles in converting good starts into big scores, Najibullah's recent form has been good. He was selected in Afghanistan's squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 held in Australia and New Zealand, and is known by his nickname "Najib" among his teammates.
FAREED AHMAD MALIK
Fareed Malik is a left-handed fast bowler who has not had many chances to play for his country at the international level. He first played in One Day Internationals (ODIs) in 2014, but since then he has played only five games in the past five years. Afghanistan typically prefers spin bowlers over fast bowlers, which has limited Malik's chances. He made his debut in both Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) and ODIs against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but he has had better performances against Ireland.
QAIS AHMAD
Qais Ahmad is a young and talented leg-spinner from Nangarhar. Despite his age, he has already made his mark in various T20 leagues around the world, including the PSL, CPL, and BBL, among others. Qais has a unique bowling style with a rhythmic action and a variety of deliveries, all delivered from a flatter trajectory, similar to fellow Afghan spinner Rashid Khan. In addition to his dynamic bowling abilities, Qais is also known for his acrobatic celebrations, particularly his reverse-somersault move, which has become quite popular. It is possible that his celebrations will become a regular sight in international cricket in the future.
FAZALHAQ FAROOQI
Fazalhaq Farooqi was selected for Afghanistan's team in the 2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, and was later named in the squad for their Test series against Zimbabwe in February 2021. He was then selected for the T20I squad for the same series the following month, and made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe on March 20, 2021. In March 2021, he was also selected as a net bowler for Chennai Super Kings in the 2021 Indian Premier League, having previously served as a net bowler for Kings XI Punjab in the 2020 edition of the tournament.
USMAN GHANI
Usman Ghani is a youthful right-handed opening batsman who plays for the Afghanistan national cricket team. He was a member of the Afghanistan Under-19 team that triumphed over Australia and Sri Lanka in the Under-19 World Cup in 2014, which led to his selection for the 2015 World Cup.
Despite his young age, Ghani is considered one of the most promising cricket players from Afghanistan. He made his ODI debut at just 17 years old during the 2014 Asian Cricket Council Premier League against Hong Kong in Kuala Lumpur. During the tournament, he scored the most runs, with 228 runs at an impressive average of 45.60.
RAHMANULLAH GURBAZ
Rahmanullah Gurbaz is a talented and aggressive right-handed opening batsman who also serves as a wicketkeeper for Afghanistan. He is known for his powerful hitting and has already made a significant impact in his international career. Gurbaz holds the distinction of being the first Afghan player to score a century on his debut. He is seen as a potential replacement for the aging Mohammad Shahzad and is considered one of the best limited-overs openers in the team. However, he faces competition from other talented openers such as Usman Ghani, Hazaratullah Zazai, and Najibullah Zadran.
RASHID KHAN
Rashid Khan is considered by many as one of the best teenage cricketers of his time. At just 18 years old, he became an essential player for the Afghanistan cricket team and even secured a coveted contract from the lucrative Indian Premier League, a market known for its indifference to sentimentalism.
In October 2015, Rashid made his One-Day International debut for Afghanistan against Zimbabwe, and later that same month, he also made his Twenty20 International debut against the same team.
AZMATULLAH OMARZAI
He made his international debut for the Afghanistan cricket team in January 2021. He marked his List A debut for Mis Ainak Region in the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament. On March 25, 2018, he made his first-class debut for Speen Ghar Region in the Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament. He was selected for Paktia's squad for the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League tournament in September 2018, and on October 7, 2018, he played his first T20 for Paktia Panthers in the 2018–19 Afghanistan Premier League. He was also recognized as the co-winner of the Player of the Tournament award in the 2020 Shpageeza Cricket League held in September 2020.
DARWISH RASOOLI
In March 2022, he marked his first appearance in international cricket representing Afghanistan. He was selected for Afghanistan's T20I squad against Bangladesh in May 2018. Later that year, in December, he was named in the under-23 team for the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. In November 2019, he was also chosen to be part of Afghanistan's squad for the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup held in Bangladesh.
MOHAMMAD SALEEM
He started his cricket career by debuting in different formats. He played his first-class cricket for Kunduz Province on 25 February 2019, in the 2018-19 Mirwais Nika Provincial 3-Day, and his List A debut for Amo Region in the 2019 Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament on 10 September 2019. Boost Defenders included him in the 2020 Shpageeza Cricket League on 7 September 2020, and he made his T20 debut.
NAVEEN UL- HAQ
During his childhood, Naveen used to watch India's cricket team play and admired their bowling trio of Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth. He started playing cricket professionally when he was 11 years old and represented Afghanistan at the U-16 level.
Naveen played a crucial role in helping Afghanistan win the trophy during the ACC U-19 Premier League 2014 when he was 15 years old. He was also selected for the U-19 World Cup in 2016 and captained his team during the U-19 Asia Cup of the same year.
MUJEEB UR RAHMAN
Mujeeb made an impressive start to his international career, playing a crucial role in Afghanistan's 3-1 victory against Bangladesh on their home turf. He continued to make his mark in international cricket with a brilliant performance in the Asia Cup. He also made a strong impression in the U-19 World Cup, taking a 4-for to eliminate hosts New Zealand in the quarter-final.
With Afghanistan's elevation to Test status, Mujeeb has the opportunity to become one of the country's first greats as a full member, and his promising start suggests he has the potential to achieve this.
IBRAHIM ZADRAN
Ibrahim Zadran, a young and talented opening batsman from Afghanistan, made his Test debut against Bangladesh in September 2019. He became one of the youngest players to score a fifty in his debut Test match, which was crucial in Afghanistan's second-ever Test match victory. Ibrahim has shown consistency and determination throughout his domestic career in Afghanistan, with impressive averages in both First-class and List A formats. He has also been a shining light for Afghanistan as they face opening concerns, especially after the controversial exit of Shahzad. With his promising start in Test cricket, Ibrahim has the potential to become a key player for Afghanistan as they continue to establish themselves as a competitive team in the international arena.
HAZRATULLAH ZAZAI
Hazratullah Zazai is a relatively new player in the cricketing world, but he has already made a name for himself with one unforgettable performance. During a T20I match against Ireland in February 2019, Zazai scored an incredible 162 runs off just 62 balls, breaking the record for the highest individual score in a T20I match. This remarkable display of batting prowess quickly earned him recognition and respect among cricket fans and players alike. Despite Afghanistan's reputation for producing talented spin bowlers, Zazai's addition to the team's batting lineup has been a welcome one, as his big-hitting style gives the team more opportunities to set and chase high scores.
For more information for upcoming 2023 ICC World Cup. Visit the 11ic. Stay tuned!
Comments