T20I series: Rashid Khan to lead Afghanistan against UAE

Afghanistan cricket team will travel to UAE for a three-match T20I series in accordance with a contract agreed upon by the two cricket boards in November with the series starting from February 16.

Afghanistan announced a 22-player squad for the T20I series in UAE next month which will be led by leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who has been re-instated as the skipper after having let go of the leadership role earlier.

He was appointed captain for the 2021 T20 World Cup in July. Rashid, who claimed that the selection committee and ACB had not gotten his consent before drafting the team, resigned from his position a month before the competition started, and Nabi assumed leadership.

However, Afghanistan has not yet announced the names of their coaching staff after the contracts of head coach Jonathan Trott and bowling coach Umar Gul were not renewed last month. The back-room team of regional coaches has been led by assistant coach Raees Ahmadzai.

Several Afghanistan players will miss the opening week of the Pakistan Super League, which begins in Multan on February 13, due to the timeline of the series.

It will be the first meeting between the teams in any international format since 2018, when they met at the 50-over Cricket World Cup Qualifier. Afghanistan won the meeting by five wickets, and the men in blue have been victorious in the last four T20I meetings between the teams.

After a conditioning camp in Abu Dhabi, Rashid's squad will then be trimmed to 17 members, with the first T20I on February 16.

After the series, Afghanistan turn their attention to a T20I series against Pakistan in March, with a location for the three matches yet to be finalised.

Afghanistan's preliminary squad: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Abdul Rahman Rahmani, Afsar Zazai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Bilal Sami, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Nangyal Kharoti, Naveen-Ul-Haq, Nijat Masoud, Noor Ahmad, Rahmat Shah, Sediqullah Atal, Shahidullah Kamal, Sharafuddin Ashraf and Zahir Khan.