Kabul, May 15 Afghanistan have named uncapped fast pacer Abdul Rahman in a strong 15-member squad for the side's three-game ODI series against Sri Lanka happening on June 2, 4 and 7 in Hambantota.
While announcing the squad, Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said Shahidullah Kamal, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar and Gulbadin Naib, who were part of the previous ODI tour to Sri Lanka, are now part of the reserves for the upcoming tour.
Rahman had picked up seven wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 5.81 for Hindukush Strikers in the domestic one-day competition in Afghanistan. "It's good to have a couple of young faces for the series; the buildup for the ICC Cricket World Cup has already begun, and we are looking for every possible opportunity to build a good combination of the team and prepare them well for the event," said Mirwais Ashraf, Chairman of the ACB.
The Afghanistan squad has highly-experienced campaigners in Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan, as well as captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Ibrahim Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Fazalhaq Farooqui.
Afghanistan have qualified directly for the 2023 Men's ODI World Cup, to be played in India in October-November this year. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will be going through the qualifiers in Zimbabwe from June 18 to July 9 and aim to finish in the top two of the competition to make the cut for the global tournament in India.
Afghanistan ODI squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmat Shah (vice-captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (wicketkeeper), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Abdul Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Ahmad Malik
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