Sport
Rashid returns as Afghanistan call up fresh faces for South Africa ODIs
Gulbadin Naib, and Mohammad Nabi also feature in an heavily experienced squad. However, injuries to a couple of known faces has paved a way for the addition of two young contenders.
Afghanistan have announced a 17-member squad for three-game ODI series against South Africa.
Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead Afghanistan in their historic bilateral ODI series against South Africa, while Rahmat Shah will be his deputy. The side also sees the return of Rashid Khan, who missed their previous ODI series against Ireland because of an injury.
Gulbadin Naib, and Mohammad Nabi also feature in an heavily experienced squad. However, injuries to a couple of known faces has paved a way for the addition of two young contenders.
Afghanistan will be without the services of Ibrahim Zadran, who was ruled out due to an ankle sprain, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is yet to recover from a right phalanx sprain. This opens up doors for Abdul Malik, the talented right-handed top-order batter who recently impressed in the domestic List A competition, and Darwish Rasooli, another top-order option with the experience of seven T20Is to his name.
Afghanistan Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.
“Hosting South Africa for the first time in our cricketing history is a huge milestone for Afghanistan Cricket,” ACB CEO Mr. Naseeb Khan said. “They are a top-quality side, and playing against them in an ODI series is something we are all excited about.
“Our team has shown great performances in ICC events over the past two-three years, and we are focused on making our team equally competitive in bilateral cricket.”
This ODI series will be the first meeting between Afghanistan and South Africa outside of ICC tournaments, with all three games set to be hosted by ACB at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The teams last met at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, where the Proteas overcame Afghanistan in the semi-finals with ease.
ODI Series Schedule:
Wednesday, 18 September
1st ODI, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE
Friday, 20 September
2nd ODI, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE
Sunday, 22 September
3rd ODI, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE
Afghanistan’s cricket stars Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai have maintained their positions at the top of the latest ICC Men’s ODI rankings.
Rashid Khan remains the No. 1 ODI bowler in the world with 714 rating points.
Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed is second with 675 points, while South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj has moved up to third with 667 points.
New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner is fourth with 644 points, followed by India’s Kuldeep Yadav on 623.
Meanwhile, Azmatullah Omarzai continues to hold the top position in the ICC ODI all-rounder rankings with 337 points, giving Afghanistan two players at No. 1 in different ODI categories. Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe and Mehidy Hasan Miraz of Bangladesh follow him in the list.
Abu Muslim Farah beat Omar Zawak Herat 4-0 in the 30th match of the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League, delivering an impressive performance.
The match was played today (Wednesday) at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium.
Samiullah Naderi scored Abu Muslim Farah’s opening goal in the final minutes of the first half.
Abu Muslim Farah continued their attacking play in the second half, with Aman Sardari scoring the team’s second goal in the 69th minute with a spectacular header.
Omid Rajabi and Mirois Ghafouri then added two more goals to complete a 4-0 victory for Abu Muslim Farah.
Amanullah Sardari, captain of Abu Muslim Farah, was named Player of the Match against Omar Zawak Herat.
Abu Muslim Farah will face Ariana Khost in their next match on October 2, while Omar Zawak Herat will take on Istiqlal Kabul on the same day.
The sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League is being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board’s High Performance Center is set to launch a nationwide fast-bowling talent identification program, titled “Afghan Thunder,” across several provinces throughout October.
According to the ACB, the program will begin in Kunduz on October 4, with assessments continuing in Herat, Kandahar, Kabul, Khost, Paktia and Kunar before concluding in Nangarhar on October 27.
The board says eligible participants must be between 19 and 26 years old, at least 180 centimeters tall, hold a valid electronic National ID (e-Tazkira) and be capable of bowling at speeds of at least 140 kilometers per hour.
The assessment schedule is as follows: Kunduz on October 4–5, Herat on October 9–10, Kandahar on October 12, Kabul on October 14–15, Khost on October 19, Paktia on October 21, Kunar on October 25 and Nangarhar on October 27.
The ACB has encouraged eligible players who believe they have the potential to develop into high-level fast bowlers to take part in the Afghan Thunder Fast-Bowling Talent Hunt Program on the designated dates.
The board says the initiative aims to identify promising fast-bowling talent from across Afghanistan and provide talented players with a pathway into the country’s high-performance cricket system.
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