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Afghanistan squad announced [Source: AFP]
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has named the entire Afghanistan squad for the upcoming Asian Games 2026 Men’s T20 event in Japan. A major part of the team is comprised of young talents that recently took part in the Shpageeza Cricket League 2026 season in Afghanistan.
Players like legendary all-rounders Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan, explosive top-order batters like Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, as well as fellow star performers like Azmatullah Omarzai and Mujeeb Ur Rahman have all been rested from the national line-up.
Darwish Rasooli to lead Afghanistan in Asian Games 2026
Top-order batter Darwish Rasooli has been appointed as captain of the Afghanistan cricket team for the upcoming 2026 Asian Games in Japan. Rasooli has previously captained the national side just once in his career, doing so back in 2025.
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Under his leadership, Afghanistan crushed Qatar by 25 runs in their lone T20I match in November last year in Doha.
Apart from Darwish Rasooli, players like Najibullah Zadran and Karim Janat are among the other senior members of the Afghanistan squad.
Mohammad Akram among others rewarded for Shpageeza Cricket League 2026
The ACB has rested the likes of several experienced and star performers like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran among others.
Instead, the Afghanistan selection committee named several young cricketers who recently took part in the Shpageeza Cricket League 2026 season.
Batting all-rounder Ismat Alam, who has previously played just two Tests for Afghanistan, earned his maiden T20I call-up. He recently bludgeoned 294 runs in just eight innings at a prolific average of 58.80 and with a strike rate of 168, and also picked up nine wickets in the tournament.
Uncapped Mohammad Akram is also set to make his international debut for Afghanistan in the upcoming Asian Games 2026. Aged 26, the explosive right-handed batter minited 339 runs in eight innings of the Shpageeza Cricket League 2026 season at an average of 42.37 and with a strike rate of nearly 200.
Akram concluded the season as its second-highest run maker, falling only behind Afghanistan international Rahmanullah Gurbaz by 71 runs on the run scoring charts.
Combining experience with youthful exuberance, here is a look at the entire 16-player Afghanistan squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
Afghanistan squad for Asian Games 2026: Darwish Rasooli (c), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Mohammad Akram, Hassan Eisakhil, Khalid Taniwal, Imran Mir, Faisal Khan Shinozada, Najibullah Zadran, Farmanullah Safi, Ismat Alam, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Arab Gul Momand, Faridoon Dawoodzai and Abdullah Ahmadzai.
Afghanistan placed in Group A of Asian Games 2026
Unlike teams like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh; the Afghanistan cricket team needs to cross an additional hurdle at the 2026 Asian Games. The team is placed in Group A of the preliminary round alongside Nepal and hosts Japan.
The top two sides from the group will qualify for the quarter-finals, and the entire multi-nation event will be organized between September 24 and October 3.
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