Asia Cup 2023: Afghanistan Announce 17-Member Squad For Continental Showpiece

New Delhi: All-rounder Karim Janat on Sunday returned to Afghanistan’s ODI squad after a gap of six years and the selectors also included seasoned left-handed batter Najibullah Zadran in the 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Hashmatullah Shahidi, a solid left-handed batter who is known for anchoring the innings, will lead the team in the tournament will be played from August 30 to September 17 in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Mohammad Saleem Safi and Abdul Rahman, two fast bowlers, who were part of Afghanistan’s recent home ODI series against Pakistan, have retained their spots in the squad, but Fareed Ahmad and Wafadar Momand have been left out.

Azmatullah Omarzai, a seam-bowling all-rounder, has been ruled out of the competition due to a side strain. Gulbadin Naib and Janat have been added to the team to serve as backup all-rounders. Sharafuddin Ashraf, a left-arm spin bowling all-rounder, has also been included as a reserve spinner.

Zadran, who missed the recently-concluded Pakistan series due to a knee injury, has been included in the team and is expected to recover from the injury prior to the start of the event. Shahidullah Kamal, who had replaced him in the series against Pakistan, has been left out of the Asia Cup squad.

The 25-year-old Janat, who has been a part of the national T20I team, made his ODI debut in February 2017 against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports. But since then, Janat has not played a single ODI, although he has represented Afghanistan in one Test and 49 T20Is. In 42 List A match, Janat has scored 1664 runs at an economy rate of 5.47 with a five-wicket haul to his name.

Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Abdul Rahman, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Fazal Haq Farooqi.