Uncapped players Bilal Sami, Darwish Rasooli, and Abdul Malik were included in Afghanistan's inaugural ODI series against South Africa
Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan is making his return to ODIs for the first time since the World Cup last October-November, as he has been named in the 17-member squad to compete against South Africa in the upcoming three-match series in the UAE.
Unfortunately for Afghanistan, they will still be without the talented mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is recovering from a sprained index finger on his right hand. The team decided to exclude wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad from the squad, with chief selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil confirming that off-spinner AM Ghazanfar, who debuted in ODIs in March, will step in for Mujeeb in the series against South Africa.
Rashid’s return is a significant boost for the team, compensating for the absence of both Mujeeb and Noor. Rashid was unable to participate in Afghanistan's one-off Test against New Zealand, with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) indicating that he requires medical clearance to play red-ball cricket due to an "ongoing injury."
Having undergone back surgery after last year’s World Cup, Rashid was unavailable for four months, missing crucial matches against the UAE, India, and Sri Lanka, as well as ODIs against Ireland. He also withdrew from the BBL, PSL, and SA20 leagues before returning to play in the Ireland T20Is this March.
Since his surgery, Rashid has participated only in T20 matches, which included appearances in the IPL, T20 World Cup, MLC, The Hundred, and the Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL), Afghanistan's domestic T20 competition. However, following his back issues, he also suffered a hamstring injury while representing Trent Rockets in The Hundred, causing him to miss the final week of the tournament before re-injuring his back during the SCL, where he played three matches.
In addition to Rashid, Afghanistan has named uncapped medium-pacer Bilal Sami, along with top-order batters Darwish Rasooli and Abdul Malik, for the ODIs against South Africa. While Rasooli has experience in seven T20Is and Malik has played two Tests, Sami is yet to make his debut for Afghanistan in any format.
The ACB has stated that Malik is being called up as cover for the injured opening batter Ibrahim Zadran, who initially missed the one-off Test due to an ankle sprain and will also be unavailable for the ODIs.
The three-match ODI series kicks off on September 18, with all matches scheduled to take place in Sharjah. This series marks the first bilateral ODI meetings between Afghanistan and South Africa, who have previously faced each other only in the 2019 and 2023 World Cups.
For Afghanistan, this series serves as vital preparation for the Champions Trophy scheduled for early next year, having qualified for the tournament for the first time after finishing sixth in the league stage of the 2023 World Cup.
Afghanistan Squad for ODIs against South Africa
Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ikram Alikhil, Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharote, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran, Fareed Ahmad