Afghanistan

Afghanistan caught the world’s attention when spinners Mohammad Nabi, Amir Hamza and Rashid Khan kept the feared West Indian batsmen in check to defend 123, World Cup’s secondlowest total, in 2016, which the Caribbeans finally won.

Excellent performances in T20 Internationals paved the way for Afghanistan’s Test status. Most of the wins have come against Ireland, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Their biggest wins were against West Indies, and they are yet to record a win against India, Pakistan and England. So the lack of big-match temperament has stifled their progress.

The biggest trump card is Rashid Khan, who baffles batsmen with his mystery spin. The leg-spinner hasn’t had much success of late as batsmen tend to play him out.

The 23-year-old Hazratullah Zazai is an exciting talent with his big-hitting talent. He belted a record 16 sixes in an unbeaten 162 off 62 balls against Ireland after reaching his half-century in just 12 balls.

Squad: Mohammad Nabi (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Ghani, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Hamid Hassan, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq.

Coach: Lance Klusener

Star players: Rashid Khan, Hazratullah Zazai

Best finish: Super 10 (2016)