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The Afghanistan Cricket Board has named a 15-member squad for the three-match T20I series against India, to be played from September 13 to 17 at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in New Delhi. Ibrahim Zadran will lead the side in his first assignment as full-time T20I captain, with fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq returning after a stress fracture in his right shoulder.
Kabul, Afghanistan: The venue is in Delhi. The home side is Afghanistan.
That arrangement has become familiar over recent years, with Afghanistan staging their home fixtures in India, but the ACB framed this series as something new — hosting a major cricketing nation for the first time, an achievement the board described as a matter of “great pride” and evidence of the progress Afghan cricket has made.
A New Captain, and a Returning Quick
Ibrahim Zadran takes charge for the first time since being confirmed as Afghanistan’s full-time T20I captain.
The most significant selection news is the return of Naveen-ul-Haq. The fast bowler had been sidelined by a stress fracture in his right shoulder, an injury that ruled him out of the T20I series against West Indies and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup earlier this year. He joins Fazal Haq Farooqi and Abdullah Ahmadzai among the specialist pace options, with Azmatullah Omarzai and Gulbadin Naib offering further seam.
Naib’s recall adds depth to the middle order as well as another bowling choice.
Spin in Numbers
Afghanistan’s spin resources are fully stocked. Former captain Rashid Khan leads a group that includes Noor Ahmad and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, with Mohammad Nabi and Nangyal Kharoti providing additional slow-bowling options.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Noor Rahman are the two wicketkeepers named. Sediqullah Atal and Darwish Rasooli are also in the squad.
Ijaz Ahmadzai, Shahidullah Kamal and Fareed Ahmad Malik have been named as reserves.
Timed Around the Asian Games
The series sits immediately before the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where the men’s cricket competition begins on September 24 — a week after the scheduled third T20I.
Afghanistan will send a largely different squad to Japan, captained by Darwish Rasooli. Rasooli, Kharoti and Abdullah Ahmadzai are the three players named in both.
A Schedule That May Yet Move
One caveat attaches to the dates. The ACB has reportedly proposed bringing the series forward, with the three matches played on September 11, 13 and 14 rather than September 13, 15 and 17. Discussions with the BCCI are said to be ongoing.
The proposed September 14 fixture would fall on Ganesh Chaturthi. All three matches would remain at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
The two sides last met in a bilateral T20I series in January 2024. Afghanistan most recently toured India for three ODIs in June this year, and the countries have played regularly since India hosted Afghanistan’s inaugural Test in 2018.
Afghanistan squad: Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Noor Rahman (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Naveen-ul-Haq
Reserves: Ijaz Ahmadzai, Shahidullah Kamal, Fareed Ahmad Malik
Series: Three T20Is, September 13-17, Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, New Delhi
