Afghanistan recall veteran duo to announce squad for T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka

Rashid Khan, who was the leader of the Afghanistan side during the last year’s Men’s T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States of America, will continue the same role in the next T20 World Cup as they named their 15-member squad for the event in India and Sri Lanka. The side will also play West Indies in the UAE as a preparation in three T20Is.

Afghanistan’s squad also includes the left-arm pacer, Fazalhaq Farooqi, off-spinner- Mujeeb Ur Rahman, all-rounder, Gulbadin Naib, and right-arm seamer- Naveen-ul-Haq as both Farooqi and Naib return to the side after being left-out of the white-ball trip of Bangladesh in October.

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Mujeeb’s inclusion, has pushed the mystery spinner- Allah Ghazanfar- out of the squad and to the reserves. This also includes Ijaz Ahmadzai and Zia Ur Rahman. Naveen. though, comes after a shoulder injury that ruled him out of the Asia Cup in September.

Afghanistan recall Fazalhaq Farooqi for T20 World Cup 2026

Afghanistan made to the semifinal of he last World Cup where they played the game against South Africa. On the way, they beat the higher-rated teams like New Zealand, West Indies, Australia, and Bangladesh.

“Afghanistan had a terrific run in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup. We cherish excellent memories from the past, and hope for even better results this year, which will be played in Asian conditions. Hosting the West Indies team provides us with an incredible opportunity to fine-tune our combination, and prepare adequately for the World Cup.” The ACB CEO, Naseeb Khan, said.

The West Indies T20I series begins on January 19 as they are placed in the Group D with New Zealand, the Proteas, UAE and Canada. They will start their campaign against the Blackcaps on February 08 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Afghanistan squad for T20 World Cup 2026

Rashid Khan (captain), Ibrahim Zadran (vice-captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Abdullah Ahmadzai.

Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmadzai and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.