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Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Sunday announced that Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead the national side in their maiden ICC Men's Champions Trophy campaign which is scheduled to begin on February 19.
Afghanistan arrived into the tournament on the back of impressive displays at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in 2023 and last year's Men's T20 World Cup, where they finished as semifinalists. A big inclusion is that of Ibrahim Zadran, who's marking a return from an ankle injury he sustained last year. He will accompany swashbuckling Rahmanullah Gurbaz at the top of the batting followed by the likes of Rahmat Shah and skipper Shahidi, making up for a strong top-four pairing. The bowling unit is strengthened by the presence of star tweaker Rashid Khan alongside all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, and Fazalhaq Farooqi, who is the pace spearhead. A notable absentee is spinner Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, who was a key member of Afghanistan's squad in the Men's Cricket World Cup back in 2023. The team have also named three additional reserves to go alongside the 15-member squad. Afghanistan's Group Stage Fixtures: 21 February - Afghanistan vs South Africa, Karachi 26 February - Afghanistan vs England, Lahore 28 February - Afghanistan vs Australia, Lahore Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran. Reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Nangyal Kharoti, Bilal Sami. (ANI)
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