Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Sunday announced the nation’s squads for the white-ball leg of the Zimbabwe tour which consists of three T20Is and as many ODIs, scheduled to begin on December 11 in Harare.

Promising young left-handed top-order batter Zubaid Akbari has earned his maiden call-up to the T20I squad. Akbari put on some stellar performances in the domestic season and was also a major contributor to Afghanistan A’s glory at the Emerging Asia Cup. Additionally, Darwish Rasooli returns to the T20I side after an impressive domestic season. He also led the Afghanistan A lineup to their maiden title at the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Asia Cup in Oman, earlier this year.

Afghanistan will continue to miss the services of prolific top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran, who is still recovering from the ankle surgery he recently underwent in England. However, there’s good news for Afghan fans as frontline spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has fully recovered from his right phalanx sprain, and has been added to the side for both the T20I and ODI series during the Zimbabwe tour.

“The calendar year 2024 has been both busy and successful for the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and the AfghanAtalan (Afghanistan A) lineup, with a packed schedule of home and away games and some remarkable achievements,” ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said. “As part of this action-packed year, the AfghanAtalan (Afghanistan A) lineup will be touring Zimbabwe for a full and all-format series, which we eagerly anticipate and look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”

“AfghanAtalan (Afghanistan A) have a rich history of playing in Zimbabwe over the years and have performed exceptionally well there. Playing against Zimbabwe on their home soil is always challenging and brings immense joy. I believe the group of players selected for this series will rise to the occasion and make this tour a memorable one.”

ACB Interim Chief Selector, Ahmad Shah, remarked, “It’s a great feeling to see our frontline spinner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, recover from his injury and be available for selection. He is an essential member of our squad, and we hope he continues to shine brightly for Afghanistan. Additionally, Zubaid Akbari and Darwish Rasooli have been consistent performers, not only in domestic cricket but also in the recently concluded ACC Emerging Teams Cup, where Afghanistan claimed the title. We have included both players in the T20I squad and wish them the very best for the upcoming series.”

Afghanistan T20I Squad for the Zimbabwe Tour:

Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Darwish Rasooli, Zubaid Akbari, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad and Naveen Ul Haq.

Afghanistan ODI Squad for the Zimbabwe Tour:

Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.

ACB noted that white-ball leg of the tour has also seen a slight shift and a change in dates to help the spectators attend the key games during weekends. As per the revised schedule of matches, the three T20Is, which were originally slotted to be played on December 9, 11 and 12, have now been pushed back to Wednesday, 11 December, Friday, 13 December, and Saturday, 14 November.

These adjustments have also affected the ODIs, with the first game now scheduled for Tuesday, 17 December. The second and third ODI match will follow on Thursday 19 December and Saturday, 21 December, respectively. All these matches will be played at the Harare Sports Club.