Afghan cricket fans will get the updated Afghanistan squad for the ICC World Cup 2023 here. Keep scrolling, and you will find the 15-man squad in this article. Afghani fans can also check their schedule at the end of this article.
Afghanistan Cricket Board has finally announced their squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. The battle is on! Now it is up to the mighty Afghanistan cricket team to make it to the end of the tournament. It is quite an achievement for the team to qualify directly in the tournament.
Related: ICC World Cup Schedule 2023 PDF Download |Men’s ODI World Cup
In this article, we will discuss the players in detail, talk about their strengths, and find out what are Afghanistan’s prospects this world cup. So without wasting any more time of yours and getting stuck into this jibber jabber, let’s hit the ball out of the park and start this article.
Get ready to learn some insights about the player’s performances.
Read: Netherlands Qualify for ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023
Afghanistan Squad for Cricket World Cup 2023
These tigers will face off against all the mighty giants in the 2023 edition of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup.
| PLAYER | ROLE |
|---|---|
| Hashmatullah Shahidi | Batsman |
| Ibrahim Zadran | Batsman |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Wicketkeeper Batsman |
| Rahmat Shah | Allrounder |
| Riaz Hassan | Batsman |
| Najibullah Zadran | Batsman |
| Mohammad Nabi | Allrounder |
| Ikram Alikhil | Wicketkeeper Batsman |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | Allrounder |
| Rashid Khan | Bowling Allrounder |
| Abdul Rahman | Fast bowler |
| Noor Ahmad | Left arm Wrist spin |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Offspinner |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | Fast bowler |
| Naveen-Ul-Haq | Fast bowler |
Related: Australia team for ICC Cricket world cup 2023 [Announced]
In this article, we will discuss the main players in detail. So buckle up!
Their match winners – Afghanistan’s strength
So here we are, discussing the strength of one of the top emerging teams in the ICC world cup. It is about time ICC should consider Afghanistan as a full member. They have shown promise, and
The magician – Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan is their star player. If we talk about his performance on Indian soil, you can see that he was pretty instrumental in the success of Sunrisers Hyderabad. The young allrounder has marked his presence in international cricket.
The leg-break googly bowler has claimed 165 wickets in mere 88 matches. This includes whooping 7/18 performance as well. Now couple this with the turning pitches in India; Rashid Khan is Afghanistan’s biggest strength. If teams can counter him, they have Afghanistan in their lap.
But will they be able to do that?
The old gun – Mohammad Nabi
Mohammad Nabi is considered one of the best all-rounders in modern times. He was the backbone of the Afghanistan cricket team for a long time.
Since the emergence of players like Rashid Khan, Nabi’s shoulders have to carry a significantly lesser burden. You can say that Nabi has seen his team’s transition from bad days to today’s golden era. If we talk about his performances, his offspin has proved more potent. So yeah, another weapon in Afghanistan’s arsenal.
Cool and calm Rahmat
Rahmat Shah is one of their experienced players. He has shown performance in the international circuit, being the backbone of Afghanistan’s batting order. He averages 37 with a strike rate of 70. Rahmat has played 92 ODI games so far, which makes him one of the top Gs in the team.
Afghanistan is full of T20 powerhouses. Among those, Rahmat brings calmness to the batting order, giving them the discipline to batt the entire 50 overs.
The young blood – Ibrahim
If Rahmat brings calmes in the opening, Ibrahim Zadran is the dynamite that destroyed teams in the powerplay. The young dynamite bats at an average of 64. He has played 3 centuries and 2 half-centuries in 12 ODI games for the team. This is a big chance for Ibrahim to prove himself.
Mujeeb – Afghanistan’s Gun in the middle overs
Mujeeb Ur Rahman will be their go-to guy in the middle overs. He has an impressive economy rate of 4.06. Maintaining that after playing 59 ODI matches in today’s batting-friendly pitches speaks a lot about his control. He will be a lethal option on the turning pitches of Chennai, especially.
Afghanistan team’s weakness
They do not seem to have a strong batting lineup. And they rely on their premier spinner too much. If Rashid doesn’t have a decent spinner, their bowling lineup isn’t strong enough to take wickets. and win matches at this level. They can win 2 or 3 matches, sure. But with this sort of a bowling lineup, you cannot survive. Mohammad Nabi isn’t the strike bowler who will give you guaranteed wickets.
The same can be said for their batting. As the matter of fact, their batting is their main issue. It doesn’t matter if Rashid and Co retain the side under a decent score if their batsmen do not chase the score.
Also, they have been struggling with the death bowling. It has happened thrice that Pakistan has won the match in the last overs. Naseem did that twice against Afghanistan in the final overs.
This is something they have to solve.
Afghanistan’s chances in the world cup
Afghanistan is as unpredictable as the waves in the ocean. Sometimes they will look like you can calmly sail them; the other moment, it will become impossible to handle the waves. You may even sink the ship if you take them too quickly.
Read: India Squad for ICC World Cup 2023 [Announced]
You can say this unpredictability is one of their biggest weapons. ICC full members have lost matches to them. Their rivalry against Pakistan brings quite a lot of entertainment for the crowd.
Let’s say they will make it very hard for the opposition to make it to the semi-finals. You do not want to face Afghanistan in a must-win match. They quickly have the potential to finish in the top 6 of the World Cup points table.
Afghanistan schedule for Cricket World Cup 2023
| Date | Match | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 7 | Bangladesh | HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala | 10:30 am |
| October 11 | India | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | 2:00 pm |
| October 15 | England | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | 2:00 pm |
| October 18 | New Zealand | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | 2:00 pm |
| October 23 | Pakistan | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | 2:00 pm |
| October 30 | Sri Lanka | MCA International Stadium, Pune | 2:00 pm |
| November 3 | Netherlands | BRSABVE Stadium, Lucknow | 2:00 pm |
| November 7 | Australia | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 2:00 pm |
| November 10 | South Africa | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | 2:00 pm |
Conclusion
Afghanistan’s roster for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 is complete, with excellent players who can make a significant impact.
Afghanistan brings experience and talent, led by senior players Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Rahmat Shah and bolstered by potential youngsters like Ibrahim Zadran and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Their unpredictability makes them a formidable opponent, and they have an opportunity to finish among the tournament’s top six teams. Cricket fans can expect a fantastic exhibition of Afghan cricket and interesting contests from this young team.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Afghanistan qualify for the 2023 World Cup?
Afghanistan was among the top 8 teams during the ICC Super League. That is how they qualified directly for the world cup.
Will Pakistan go to India for World Cup 2023?
Yes, Pakistan will visit India for the world cup. Their captain Babar Azam has expressed explicitly that he doesn’t care if it is in India or anywhere else; he will play his best cricket and win games for Pakistan.
Who are the Afghan squad for ICC World Cup?
The details squad is given in this article. However, you can see big names like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Rahmat Shah on the team.
Has Afghanistan ever won a match?
Yes, Afghanistan has won 101 ODIs till early 2023 with a win percentage of 71 per cent.
Has Pakistan ever lost to Afghanistan?
Yes, Pakistan has lost to Afghanistan in a cricket match.
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