Afghanistan announces squads for Bangladesh series; Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib dropped

Some of the biggest stars have been left off of Afghanistan's selections for the forthcoming white-ball series against Bangladesh. After a poor Asia Cup 2025 showing, left-arm fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi and seasoned all-rounders Gulbadin Naib and Karim Janat were left off the roster.

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Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead the ODI team, while Raahid Khan will continue to lead the T20I squad. Afghanistan and Bangladesh will play three ODIs and three T20Is. The T20Is will be played from October 2 to 5, while the ODIs will be played from October 8 to 14. All matches are slated to be played in the UAE, across Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.

Afghanistan has called up 20-year-old uncapped seamer Bashir Ahmad to replace Farooqi, and he will play in both ODIs and T20Is. Bashir is seen as a like-for-like replacement and has already played 14 Twenty20 matches, taking 12 wickets.

Wafiullah Tarakhil, an 18-year-old top-order batsman who made an impression in the Shpageeza League, where he was the third-highest run-scorer with 298 runs at a strike rate of 155, is another newcomer to the T20I team.

Sharjah will host the T20Is, while Abu Dhabi will be the venue for ODIs

Afghanistan will rely on their spin giants Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi in the Twenty20 Internationals, while mystery spinner Allah Ghazanfar has been retained in the main ODI squad but demoted to the reserves.

In ODIs, Ghazanfar will join hands with Rashid, Nabi, and youngster Nangeyalia Kharote, giving Afghanistan plenty of spin options for the Abu Dhabi matches.

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"After a long six-month break from international cricket following the ICC Champions Trophy, we are now entering a packed season with many T20I games scheduled. This provides the team with an incredible opportunity to prepare for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup next year.

"The performances in the Asia Cup 2025 were not as expected, but ups and downs are part of the game. As always, we remain hopeful that Afghan Atalan will bounce back strongly and make our nation proud in the upcoming events,” ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said in a statement.

Afghanistan T20I squad for Bangladesh series: 

Rashid Khan (c), Ibrahim Zadran (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Bashir Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Abdullah Ahmadzai.

Afghanistan ODI squad for Bangladesh series:

Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharote, AM Ghazanfar, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem Safi.

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