Afghanistan squad named for Bangladesh ODIs

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced the squad today for the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, starting from November 6 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE.

The second and third match will take place at the same venue on November 9 and 11 respectively.

Afghanistan will continue to miss the services of prolific top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran, who is recovering from ankle surgery that he recently underwent in England, while spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman is still recovering from a right phalanx sprain.

Left-hand top-order batter Sediqullah Atal, who so far played six T20Is, has been called up to cover for the injured Zadran. 

Noor Ahmad, who missed the three-match ODI series against South Africa, has also been recalled for the series. The rest of the squad remains the same that helped Afghanistan to a 2-1 ODI series win over South Africa last month in Sharjah.

"Playing against Bangladesh has always been challenging and full of joy. I believe the group of players selected for this series will perform exceptionally well and bring more glory to our nation," said ACB CEO Naseeb Khan.

Chief selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil said: "Ibrahim Zadran is currently undergoing rehabilitation and continues to recover from the surgery he recently had. Mujeeb Ur Rahman also remains unavailable due to ongoing treatment. However, Noor Ahmad is back in the squad, and we have included a promising top-order batter in Sediqullah Atal, who has impressed everyone with his consistent top performances."

SQUAD: Hashmatullah Shahidi (Captain), Rahmat Shah (Vice-captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wicketkeeper), Ikram Alikhil (Wicketkeeper), Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.