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Experienced leg-spinner Rashid Khan has been appointed as the captain of the side as Afghanistan announced a 22-member squad for the upcoming tri-series against Pakistan and UAE, as per the ICC.
White-ball stars Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Mohammad Nabi, who helped Afghanistan qualify for the knockout stage of last year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup, are also included. Youngsters Wafiullah Tarakhil, Abdullah Ahmadzai and Bashir Ahmad also win spots in the preliminary squad and could be in contention for a first international cap if chosen for selection. The squad will undergo a two-week training camp ahead of the tri-series in Sharjah, with the side's first match set for August 29 against Pakistan. The tournament will take place ahead of the Asia Cup in September, as the sub-continent teams prepare for next year's T20 World Cup. All three teams will face each other twice, with the top two sides then advancing to the final scheduled for 7 September. The two teams have played against each other at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium five times in T20Is, with Pakistan having got the better of Afghanistan thrice while the latter have emerged victorious on two other occasions. Tri-series schedule: August 29 - Afghanistan v Pakistan. August 30 - UAE v Pakistan. September 1 - UAE v Afghanistan. September 2 - Pakistan v Afghanistan. September 4 - Pakistan v UAE. September 5 - Afghanistan vs UAE. September 7 - Final. Afghanistan preliminary squad: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Nangyal Kharoti, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mujeeb Zadran, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen ul Haq, Farid Malik, Saleem Safi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmad. (ANI)
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