MI, KKR and GT stars included in Afghanistan's T20 World Cup 2024 squad

The squads for the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA have started rolling out, with as many as five teams announcing their troops.
 By Darpan Jain May 1, 2024, 00:24 IST
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The team’s quality looks good, with a precise blend of youth and veteran players.

The squads for the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA have started rolling out, with as many as five teams announcing their troops. Afghanistan are the latest to reveal their 15 players and three reserves for the event, with the squad laced with a few stars in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

The team’s quality looks good, with a precise blend of youth and veteran players. The leader of the pack will be the Gujarat Titans (GT) star, Rashid Khan, who has not played ample international cricket due to surgery.

Azmatullah Omarzai, the pace-bowling all-rounder, and Noor Ahmad, the left-arm chinaman, also a part of GT in IPL 2024, find a spot in the T20 World Cup squad. Among the other notable inclusions are the Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder Mohammad Nabi and the newly-recruited Delhi Capitals (DC) hard-hitter and medium pacer Gulbadin Naib.

Also Read: India drops big-hitting finisher, brings back star spinner for T20 World Cup 2024

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, a member of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) this IPL edition, will be the primary wicketkeeper batter and open the innings with the talented Ibrahim Zadran for Afghanistan. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Naveen-ul-Haq and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) left-arm speedster Fazalhaq Farooqi are other IPL stars included in a formidable Afghanistan unit, bolstering the team further.

Mohammad Ishaq and Nangyal Kharoti among the new faces

The wicketkeeper-batter, Mohammad Ishaq, featuring in a mere four T20I games for Afghanistan, gets a place in the squad, acting as a backup for Rahmanullah Gurbaz. He has scored 75 runs at an average of 25 and a 141.50 strike rate, with a personal best of 32, in four outings in this format for Afghanistan.

Nangyal Kharoti, a left-arm orthodox and a left-hand batter, also earns his maiden World Cup spot. Kharoti has played three T20Is for Afghanistan, taking five wickets at 13 runs apiece and an economy rate of 5.90.

Both might not start for Afghanistan in the initial phase and will come in if a player gets injured or fails to impress in their respective department. That said, Ishaq and Kharoti are quality players with ample potential.

With massive experience and quality, Afghanistan can make waves in the tournament and perform above expectations. They will begin their campaign against Uganda in Guyana on June 3.

Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik

Reserves: Sediq Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Saleem Safi

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