NEWS
Follow UsAlmost two years since his last appearance in an Afghanistan jersey, the 35-year-old Mohammad Shahzad has returned to the national setup for the T20I series against Bangladesh. The selectors have also recalled Hazratullah Zazai after his last appearance came earlier in the year against the United Arab Emirates in February.
Uncapped pacer Wafadar Momand too has been included in the 16-man squad after his last appearance came almost six years ago, in a Test. Sediqullah Atal, who made his debut in the series against Pakistan too has marked a return.
Afghanistan’s captain and all-rounder Rashid Khan too has made a return following an injury that ruled him out of action earlier in the one-off Test against Bangladesh. Rashid is also included in the ODI series against the same opposition. Asadullah Khan, who is the chief selector for the country, insisted that Shahzad’s return was because of his form.
"We brought Shahzad as we feel that we should have an attacking batter as a back-up for the opening slot because anything can happen in cricket. He is currently the best option and he also performed very well in the domestic tournament. He shows that he is ready for T20Is and we are starting the process now for the next T20 World Cup and we will see the players on typical roles and later we will decide," Asadullah told Cricbuzz on Sunday.
Alongside that, Asadullah also spoke about the inclusion of Momand, who hasn’t played in any white-ball format thus far for the nation.
"We brought Momand because he has very good pace and showed that in camps and domestic cricket. As I said before, we are looking at the players so that we can decide regarding the final squad for the World Cup."
Squad: Rashid Khan (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Shehzad, Wafadar Momand, Hazratullah Zazai, Sediqullah Atal, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq
