KABUL: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Friday announced the 15-man squad for the five-match ODI series against Ireland from August 7 to 15.
Mohammad Nabi, the 41-year-old all-rounder who has represented Afghanistan in 178 ODIs, is the most notable addition to the touring squad for the Ireland tour, which will mark middle-order batsman Rahmat Shah’s first stint as their long-form captain.
Although the ACP did not specify the reason for Nabi’s exclusion, it came after his recent struggles. The 41-year-old has only managed to register one half-century in his previous 11 innings, while picking up just six wickets in the last eight games.
Apart from Nabi, Fareed Malik and Bilal Sami also failed to retain their places in the 16-man Afghanistan squad that toured India for the three-match ODI series last month and were whitewashed 3-0.
Afghanistan also narrowed their squad to 15 players for the tour of Ireland, bringing in Fazalhaq Farooqi and Yamin Ahmadzai for the trio of Nabi, Fareed and Bilal.
Notably, the ODI series between Ireland and Afghanistan will begin on August 5, with the opening match being played at the Bready Cricket Ground in Magheramason, which will host the next match on August 7.
The series will then shift to Belfast, where the remaining three matches will be played on August 10, 12 and 15 respectively.
Afghanistan squad for ODI series against Ireland
Rahmat Shah (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Sadran, Sediqullah Atal, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Darweesh Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikil, Nangyal Garodai, Rashid Khan, A.M. Kasanfar, Yamin Ahmadzai, Fazal Ahmadzai, Ur Rahman Sharibi.