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Afghanistan offspinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman is set to return to international cricket after recovering from a five-month injury layoff. Mujeeb, who last played in June, was sidelined with a right phalanx sprain but recently made his competitive comeback during the Abu Dhabi T10 on November 21. He has been named in both Afghanistan’s ODI and T20I squads for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, top-order batter Zubaid Akbari has received his maiden T20I call-up, following an impressive run in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup earlier this year. Another top-order batter, Darwish Rasooli, also returns to the T20I setup, having last played in January against the UAE.
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Squad Highlights
Afghanistan’s limited-overs squads feature a mix of youth and experience. However, they will continue to miss Ibrahim Zadran, who is recovering from ankle surgery. Spinner Noor Ahmad has been included only in the T20I squad, while batter Riaz Hassan has been left out of the ODI team.
ACB interim chief selector Ahmad Shah expressed optimism about Mujeeb’s return and hailed the performances of Akbari and Rasooli in domestic and regional tournaments.
Revised Schedule for Zimbabwe Series
The tour will consist of three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests. The T20Is, originally set for December 9, 11, and 12, have been rescheduled to December 11, 13, and 14 to accommodate fans over the weekend. Consequently, the ODIs have been moved to December 17, 19, and 21. All limited-overs matches will take place at the Harare Sports Club.
Afghanistan’s Test squad for the series, which will run from December 26 to January 6, 2025, has yet to be announced.
Afghanistan Squads for Zimbabwe Tour
ODI Squad
- Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt)
- Rahmat Shah (vice-capt)
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran, Farid Ahmad Malik
T20I Squad
- Rashid Khan (capt)
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Darwish Rasooli, Zubaid Akbari, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq
