Rashid Khan was named Afghanistan captain of a 15-man squad announced on Wednesday for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Left-arm fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi and all-rounder Gulbadin Naib were included after both were left out of the white-ball tour of Bangladesh in October.
Pace bowler Naveen-ul-Haq, who played his last T20 against Zimbabwe in Dec. 2024, also returns after recovering from a shoulder injury which forced him to miss the Asia Cup in September. Mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar was named in reserve after Afghanistan preferred experienced slow bowler Mujeeb Ur Rahman for the tournament that starts on Feb. 7.
“Afghanistan had a terrific run in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup,” said Naseeb Khan, the national cricket board’s chief executive officer. “We cherish excellent memories from the past and hope for even better results this year in Asian conditions.´´
Afghanistan reached the semi-finals of the last T20 World Cup in 2024 played in the Caribbean and the U.S. after defeating high-ranking teams New Zealand, Australia, West Indies and Bangladesh.
Khan’s team will play a three-match T20 series against the West Indies from Jan. 19-22 as part of its build-up. Afghanistan is in Group D along with New Zealand, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and Canada. It will open its campaign against the Kiwis on Feb. 8 in Chennai.