Asia Cup 2025: Afghanistan have named a 17-member squad on August 24 for the T20 Asia Cup 2025. Star spinners Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Allah Ghazanfar have made comebacks to the T20I squad. Rashid Khan will lead Afghanistan in the continental tournament. Opener Hazratullah Zazai has been dropped and Ibrahim Zadran will open the innings in the tournament alongside wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
Afghanistan have plenty of spin options in their squad, including skipper Rashid, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Rahman, Ghazanfar. Alongside Zazai, all-rounder Zubaid Akbari has been dropped as well. Left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote could not find a place in the squad either.
There are three travelling reserves -- Wafiullah Tarakhail, Kharote, and Abdullah Ahmadzai -- as well who are part of the tri-series against UAE and Pakistan starting next week.
Afghanistan will begin their Asia Cup campaign against Hong Kong on September 9 at Sheikh Zayed Staidum, Abu Dhabi. Afghanistan are placed in Group B alongside Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan are yet to win the Asia Cup. In the 2018 ODI edition, they qualified for Super Four. In the T20 Asia Cup 2022, they did not make it past the Super Four stage as well.
Afghanistan squad for T20 Asia Cup 2025:
Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq.