Nabi recalled to Afghanistan’s T20I squad

Senior all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has been recalled to Afghanistan’s T20 squad as the country’s cricket board on Tuesday named 17 players for the upcoming three-match home series against Pakistan, starting from March 24 in Sharjah. Rashid Khan will lead a side that has some familiar names including Nabi, who had last played for Afghanistan in the ODI series against Sri Lanka in November last year, just after he had stepped down as the T20I captain following the T20 World Cup. Uncapped opening batter Sediqullah Atal was also named in the squad and could be a potential debutant in the series. However, senior batters Rahmat Shah and Hazratullah Zazai have been dropped. Nijat Masoud and Zahir Khan, who were part of the squad during the UAE tour last month, have been kept as reserves. “Our team has been working hard in training camp and selectors have selected the best available players for the series. I am confident that our team will perform at their best and make our nation proud. We wish our team the best of luck for the series and hope to see them emerge victorious,” Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) CEO Naseeb Khan. Afghanistan squad: Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Sediqullah Atal, Najibullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Fareed Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi and Naveen Ul Haq. Reserve players include Nangyal Kharoti, Zahir Khan and Nijat Masoud.