The Afghanistan Cricket Board has announced their 15-member squad for the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to take place in the West Indies and the USA in June. The team will be captained by the renowned Rashid Khan.

The squad sees a few new faces compared to the 2022 edition, with the inclusion of Karim Janat, Mohammad Ishaq, and Noor Ahmad.

However, Hashmatullah Shahidi, who captained Afghanistan in the previous year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, has been left out of the squad. His last T20I appearance was in 2022.

Young talent Nangyal Kharoti, who made his international debut for Afghanistan in March this year against Ireland, has also been selected. The 20-year-old made a significant impact in that series, taking five wickets in three matches with an impressive economy rate of just 5.90.

Another young player to earn a spot is wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Ishaq, who was part of Afghanistan’s squad in the 2020 and 2022 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cups.

Rashid Khan will spearhead the spin department, with support from Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Nangyal Kharoti, and the experienced Mohammad Nabi.

The fast-bowling department will be handled by Naveen-ul-Haq, Fareed Ahmad, and Fazalhaq Farooq, who have all retained their spots.

Afghanistan Squad:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, 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