Cricket: Afghanistan announce preliminary 22-member squad for camp ahead of Asia Cup 2025
Afghanistan select blend of youth and experience for Asia Cup 2025
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) made a crucial announcement on Tuesday afternoon by confirming the 22-man preliminary squad that they have selected to represent the nation at the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 in the United Arab Emirates between September 9 to 28.
Ahead of the 17th edition of the Asia Cup, the Blue Tigers will face off against Pakistan and the UAE in a tri-nation series as part of their preparation. The same 22-man squad for this series will be trimmed to 15 and sent to the Asia Cup next month.
Leading the Tigers for the forseeable future is Rashid Khan, arguably the greatest player the country has ever produced. Khan opted to skip the Major League Cricket season with MI New York after a poor Indian Premier League campaign, where he claimed just nine wickets for the Gujarat Titans. Afghan selector Mir Mubariz discussed Khan’s selection, saying:
"Rashid Khan is Afghanistan's superstar player. He has always done it for the team. Being in form or out of form, that's part of the game, but he knows very well how to come back stronger and perform in major events for the team and the country."
Following this series and ahead of the Asia Cup, the Afghans will undergo a two-week training camp in the UAE to acclimatise themself before their opening Asia Cup 2025 match against Hong Kong on September 9. You can check out the latest betting odds for this clash right here.
Afghanistan squad for tri-series and Asia Cup (Preliminary)
In addition to Khan's selection as captain of the Afghanistan team for the upcoming series and Asia Cup, another notable selection sees teenage spin bowler Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar included in the Blue Tigers touring squad.
The 18-year-old suffered a spinal injury, which forced him to remain sidelined for several months, but he has made a very impressive return to action, finishing as the top wicket-taker at the 2025 T20 Blast for Derbyshire with 16 wickets in just 14 games.
He then turned out in the 2025 Shpageeza Cricket League for Band-e-Amir Dragons, notching up six wickets in as many matches, and the rising star is expected to play a key role in the Afghans’ bowling attack alongside the likes of his skipper and another spin sensation, Noor Ahmad.
Afghanistan 22-man squad
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Ishaq, Rashid Khan (C), Mohammad Nabi, Nangyal Kharoti, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Naveen ul Haq, Farid Malik, Saleem Safi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmad.
