Afghanistan Schedule for Asia Cup 2022: Complete Squad, Predicted Playing XI, Key Players, Match Venue, Date and Time
Afghanistan are part of a cut-throat Group B alongside Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the six-team Asia Cup 2022.
Wary of their batting credentials, Afghanistan have looked to bolster themselves by handing a return to experienced Samiullah Shenwari in their 17-man squad picked for the Asia Cup 2022 in UAE.
Shenwari is making a comeback to the side after two and a half years since his most recent T20I outing for Afghans, who have dropped Sharafuddin Ashraf in the pecking order. Ashraf, part of the squad for the T20I series in Ireland, is now an Asia Cup reserve player alongside Nijat Masoud and Qais Ahmad.
The only other notable change from the squad picked for the Irish trip is the addition of left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmed, as Mohammad Nabi led Afghanistan make their first-ever appearance at the Asia Cup T20I after missing out on the inaugural edition in 2016 in Bangladesh, losing the qualifying spot to UAE.
Afghanistan Squad for Asia Cup 2022
Mohammad Nabi (c), Najibullah Zadran (vc), Afsar Zazai (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Karim Janat, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Naveen ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rashid Khan and Samiullah Shinwari
Predicted Afghanistan Playing XI for Asia Cup 2022
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Samiullah Shinwari, Azmat Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Naveen ul Haq, Fazal Haq Farooqi
Key Afghanistan Players
Rashid Khan - King Khan Rashid is inarguably the most important player to Afghanistan's chances at the Asia Cup T20I. A player that opponents will be wary of, the wristspinner will look to continue his domination for the Afghans. Rashid enters this edition of the Asia Cup with an excellent T20I record to his name: 111 wickets, ER 6.20 after 68 matches. An ace up Afghanistan's sleeves, Rashid's four overs will be critical in deciding their fortunes.
Najibullah Zadran - Afghanistan's most comfortable batter against pace, Zadran will be another key figure during his team's campaign. Like Rashid with ball in hand, much of Afghanistan's fortunes will depend on how well Zadran goes in the middle order. The left-hander has a strike-rate of 142.98 with an average of 33.56 over 77 T20Is for Afghanistan. His tally of 1,477 runs, includes eight half-centuries.
Afghanistan Schedule for Asia Cup 2022
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
| Aug 27 | Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan | Dubai | 7:30 PM |
| Aug 30 | Bangladesh vs Afghanistan | Sharjah | 7:30 PM |
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