Rasooli gets Afghanistan call-up for T20 WC in Australia Pakistan name recovering Shaheen in WC squad as Fakhar misses out Fit-again Ervine returns to lead Zimbabwe in T20 World Cup
KABUL: Seasoned all-rounder Samiullah Shinwari, Hashmatullah Shahidi, and Afsar Zazai were on Thursday let out as Afghanistan named their 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia next month.
From the 17 players who were part of the squad for the recently held ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2022, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) also dropped Karim Janat and Noor Ahmad for the T20 World Cup which will be played from October 16 to November 13 at various venues in Australia.
“Middle-order bater Darwish Rasooli, who was out with a finger injury, the leg-spinning all-rounder Qais Ahmad and the right-arm quick Salim Safi have made it to the 15-member cut. In addition, Afsar Zazai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Rahmat Shah and Gulbadin Naib have been added to the squad as reserves,”theacbinformedinareleaseonthursday.
The squad led by Mohammad Nabi includes senior players like spinner Rashid Khan, wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Fazal Haq Farooqi and Mujib ur Rahman. Chief selector Noor Malikzai said the team will take things forward from the Asia Cup.
“The Asia Cup was a very good opportunity for the team to buildup things nicely for the muchimportant global event in Australia.
“Fortunately, Darwish Rasooli has recovered from injury (broken finger) and we are happy to have him available for the WT20, he has demonstrated good glimpses of him in the previously held Shpageeza Cricket League 2022 and offers an additional bating option to our middle order,” said Malikzai. “Since the Australian conditions offer further support for the fast bowlers, so we have added Salim Safi, the tall right-arm quick to add further impetus to our bowling department.
“Overall we have picked our best available players for the event and we are hopeful of them to do well and beter represent the country in the mega event,” the ACB chief selector added.
Afghanistan started their Asia Cup campaign with two victories and made it to the Super 4s before being defeated by India, Pakistan and Lanka in the later stages.
Afghanistan Squad for ICC T20 World Cup: - Mohammad Nabi (c), Najibullah Zadran (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Darwish Rasooli, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Mujib ur Rahman, Naveen ul Haq, Qais Ahmad, Rashid Khan, Salim Safi and Usman Ghani.
KARACHI: Pakistan selectors on Thursday included recovering paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi, but batsman Fakhar Zaman could only find a place in the reserves for the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia next month.
Shaheen, 22, injured his knee while fielding during the first Test in Sri Lanka in July and missed the Asia Cup earlier this month.
The lanky let-arm paceman will also miss the seven-match T20I series against England starting in Karachi from Sept.20 but chief selector Mohammad Wasim said his injury is being monitored.
“We are assessing Shaheen’s injury and hope that he will be fit,” Wasim said in a press conference in Lahore.
Top-order batsman Fakhar Zaman also hurt his knee during the Asia Cup, where he managed just 96 runs in six games.
Test star Shan Masood has also been called up for the first time in a T20I side ater his stellar performance in England’s county matches and T20 cricket.
The same 15-member squad will also feature in a tri-series in New Zealand next month where Bangladesh will be the third team.
Pakistan resisted the inclusion of veteran 40-year-old Shoaib Malik, who has not played since last year’s World Cup despite a faltering middle-order.
Itikhar Ahmed (105 runs), Asif Ali (41) and Khushdil Shah (58) were retained despite their poor performances in the Asia Cup, where Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup last Sunday.
All teams have until October 15 to make changes in their World Cup squads, leaving Pakistan with a chance to include Zaman in the main squad.
Twouncappedplayers--fastbowlingall-rounder Aamir Jamal and spinner Abrar Ahmed -- are part of the 18-man squad for the England series.
Star batsman Babar Azam will lead all three sides.
Pakistan are placed in Group 2 of the Twenty20 World Cup with arch-rivals India, South Africa, Bangladesh and two qualifier teams who will come from the first round. They play India in a sell-out first match in Melbourne on Oct.23.
Pakistan T20 World Cup and New Zealand tri-series squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Itikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Usman Qadir
HARARE: Zimbabwe on Thursday named their 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2022 with skipper Craig Ervine returning from a hamstring niggle to lead the side in Australia next month.
The squad also sees a return from injuries for Tendai Chatara, Wellington Masakadza and Milton Shumba while Blessing Muzarabani also comes back to lead the pace atack.
Chatara returns from a collarbone fracture while Muzarabani, who travelled with the team to Australia without playing a game, is back fit and firing. Wellington Masakadza and Milton Shumba come back from shoulder tendon and quadricep injuries respectively.
Tadiwanashe Marumani, Innocent Kaia, Kevin Kasuza, Victor Nyauchi and Tanaka Chivanga have been named as non-travelling reserves.
Zimbabwe begin the Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 with a match against Ireland on October 17 at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart, Tasmania. West Indies and Scotland are the other teams in the group.
The Craig Ervine led sie are also scheduled to face Sri Lanka and Namibia in warm-up matches on October 10 and 13 ahead of the main tournament.
Earlier, Raza made history by becoming the first Zimbabwe player to win the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award. Raza beat New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner and England Test skipper Ben Stokes to claim the monthly award for August, with the 36-year-old scoring three ODI centuries during the month alone.
“I’m incredibly humbled and honoured to have won the player of the month award from the ICC -- more humbling that I’m the first Zimbabwean to ever win such an award,” said Raza.
“I would like to thank everybody who has been in the change room with me over the past three to four months -- that goes out to the technical staff and to the players. Without you guys this would not have been possible.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the fans in Zimbabwe and overseas for all your prayers, for all your wishes...they were well received and I’m forever grateful,” he said.
Raza’s three centuries for the month came against world-class atacks, with the righthander’s unbeaten 135 against Bangladesh at the start of the month arguably the pick of the bunch.