Afghanistan Announce Squad For ODI Series Against Sri Lanka

Afghanistan has already qualified for the World Cup later this year, while Sri Lanka will go through a qualifier and hope to finish among top two and qualify for the event in India.

"It's good to have a couple of young faces for the series,” Mirwais Ashraf, chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, said in a statement on Monday. “The buildup for the World Cup has already begun, and we are looking for every possible opportunity to build a good combination of the team and prepare them well for the event.”

Shahidullah Kamal, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar and Gulbadin Naib, who were part of the Afghanistan team that toured Sri Lanka last November, were named in the reserves.

The strong ODI squad includes seasoned players Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Noor Ahmed, who are now playing in the Indian Premier League.

The three matches will be played in Hambantota on June 2, 4 and 7. Afghanistan has also planned a three-match ODI series against Pakistan in a build up to the World Cup. The Asia Cup will also be played in September with Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nepal are scheduled to compete.

Squad:

Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhail, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujib Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Abdul Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Farid Ahmad Malik.