ICC World Cup 2019 | Gulbadin Naib appointed as skipper as Afghanistan announce their 15-man squad

Afghanistan, who won the World Cup Qualifier in 2018, have announced their 15-man squad for the quadrennial event. The team has gone ahead with Gulbadin Naib as the skipper of the side, despite the fact that the decision to sack incumbent skipper Asghar Afghan was openly criticised by many key players like Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi. However, Afghan has held his place as a middle-order batsman.

Among other things, the inclusion of 31-year-old pacer Hamid Hassan, who last played for Afghanistan in July 2016, has come as a major surprise. He will replace 31-year-old Shapoor Zadran, who has only played one ODI in the last 12 months. Dawlat Khan Ahmadzai, the chief selector of Afghanistan cricket team, had announced the nation’s squad for the marquee event on April 22.

“Luckily for us, the comeback of senior fast bowler Hamid Hassan is a good news. However, we will take into account his form and fitness during upcoming practice matches,” he said, reported ICC.

The big-hitting batsman Mohammad Shahzad will handle the wicket-keeper and opener’s duties, along with either Noor Ali Zadran or Hazratullah Zazai. Javed Ahmadi, who was a part of the recent series against Ireland, has been left out, whereas 18-year-old Ikram Ali Khil has been named as a reserve.

The former skipper, along with Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Naib and Najibullah Zadran will form the core of the middle order.  The presence of the hard-hitting all-rounders like Nabi, Rashid and Samiullah Shinwari will further bolster their batting.

Apart from Hassan, Dawlat Zadran and Aftab Alam are the only other pacers in the squad, while Karim Janat and Sayed Shirzad have been named as the standbys.

There are no surprises in the spin department, as along with Khan, Nabi and part-timer Shinwari, Mujeeb Ur Rahman will be among the main threats for the opposition. Ahmadzai reckoned that the management has gone ahead with the best possible squad. The former pacer hoped that the side, which will only make its second appearance in the global event, will put a strong performance.

“It is has been a six-month preparation process for the ICC Cricket World Cup. The mission is to play inspirational cricket in the tournament; I know there are strong teams but we will do our level best to achieve our goals. There were some challenges that we needed to handle. We selected the best squad considering factors such as experience, fitness, team balance, current form and conditions,” the 34-year-old concluded.

The Phil Simmons-coached side will play two warm-up fixtures against Pakistan and England, before facing Australia in their first encounter on June 1.

15 Man Squad: Gulbadin Naib (captain), Mohammad Shahzad (wicket-keeper), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman