Kabul, October 15, 2025: Afghanistan Cricket
Board’s National Selection Committee today finalized the Afghanistan National
Team’s Squads for the one-off Test match and the three-match T20I series
against Zimbabwe, scheduled to be played from October 20 to November 2 at the
Harare Sports Club in Harare.
Left-arm fast bowler Bashir Ahmad, who
recently made appearances in ODIs and T20Is for Afghanistan, and was also part
of the Test squad on the last tour to Zimbabwe, retains his place in the squad.
A right-arm fast bowler, Zia Ur Rahman
Sharifi, left-arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf, and the right-arm leg spinner
Khalil Gurbaz, who impressed in the domestic red ball season, have been called
up for the Test Squad. In addition, left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder
Shahidullah Kamal has also been added to both squads that will face Zimbabwe
late this month. Rashid Khan will be rested as a precaution to prioritize his
well-being and sustained performance for the upcoming
international events.
Moreover, fast-bowler Ibrahim Abdulrahimzai,
Sediqullah Atal, and Shams Ur Rahman have been added to the reserve pool.
Meanwhile, middle-order batter Ijaz Ahmadzai,
who made his T20I debut earlier in 2024, makes a comeback to the T20I side.
Alongside him, Shahidullah Kamal, who had an impressive SCL season, has been
drafted to the T20I squad for the series.
The CEO of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, Mr.
Naseeb Khan, said:
“Alongside our domestic cricket and high-performance
center programs, we have been successfully implementing our plans in
international cricket. As a result, we are now consistently playing bilateral
series one after another, and the outcomes of our long-term efforts have been
very positive so far.”
He added:
“Following the Bangladesh series hosted by ACB,
our national team will travel to Zimbabwe, where they will play a Test match and
a T20I series against the host nation. Subsequently, we will also play series
against other countries in sequence.”
Afghanistan’s Test Squad:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim
Zadran, Abdul Malik, Afsar Zazai (WK), Ikram Alikhel (WK), Bahir Shah,
Shahidullah Kamal, Ismat Alam, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar, Yamin
Ahmadzai, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Khalil Gurbaz, and Bashir Ahmad.
Reserves: Ibrahim Abdulrahimzai, Sediqullah Atal, and Shams Ur Rahman
Rashid Khan (C), Ibrahim Zadran (VC),
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal,
Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf,
Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Bashir Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad Malik and Abdullah
Ahmadzai.
Reserves: AM Ghazanfar and Faridoon Dawoodzai
Etisalat Afghanistan Telecommunication Company holds the title sponsorship rights, whereas SuperCola remains as co-sponsor and Vany remains ACB’s clothing partner for the event.
Series Schedule:
|
Date |
Format |
Venue |
|
October 20 – 24 |
Only Test |
Harare |
|
October 29 |
1st T20I |
Harare |
|
October 31 |
2nd T20I |
Harare |
|
November 2 |
3rd T20I |
Harare |