Home
Afghanistan are gearing up to make their fourth appearance in the Asia Cup. Although they have never won the tournament in three previous attempts, Afghanistan's performance in the continental tournament has garnered a ton of applause. They have won matches against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh while almost squeezing a win against India. Afghanistan did manage to tie a game against the Men in Blue in the last edition of the Asia Cup.
If there is any team that has the potential to fight neck-and-neck with India and Pakistan, then it has to be Afghanistan, at least when it's their day. Last time, the tournament was played in a 50-over format but with the 20-over format being preferred for 2022, Afghanistan can excel beyond comprehension.
Rashid Khan is the biggest name in the squad. His all-round abilities propelled him to the summit of T20 cricket. Then there is Mohammad Nabi, another veteran who has competed in the best of T20 leagues around the world. Mujeeb ur Rahman's mystery spin has often made batters look silly on the crease while Hazratullah Zazai's explosive batsmanship can destroy the best of bowling attacks in the world.
For Afghanistan, the biggest challenge would be to string together an all-round performance. Far often they have relied on individual brilliance but a tournament is seldom won by individuals.
Nabi's men will start their campaign against Sri Lanka on August 27 (Saturday).
Squad: Mohammad Nabi (captain), Najibullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Karim Janat, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Naveen ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rashid Khan, Samiullah Shinwari.
Standby: Nijat Masood, Qais Ahmed, Sharafuddin Ashraf.
Schedule:
August 27: Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka (Group B) in Dubai
August 30: Afghanistan vs Bangladesh (Group B) in Sharjah
