Asia Cup 2023: Afghanistan’s strongest predicted playing XI for the tournament

After getting whitewashed by Pakistan in the three-match One-Day International (ODI), Afghanistan will now head to the Asia Cup 2023. Recently, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced Afghnaistan’s 17-member squad which will tour Pakistan and Sri Lanka to play the continental tournament.

Now, these 17 men will carry the responsibility of playing quality cricket and helping their side to be at its best in the marquee event. In the 2018 edition of the tournament which was played in the ODI format, the Afghanistan team put up a fine show and ended their campaign in the Super Four round. In the group stage, they beat Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to top the pool. This time, they will be expected to perform exceptionally well from their fans and get the coveted trophy home.

Here is Afghanistan’s Best-XI for Asia Cup 2023

1. Ibrahim Zadran

Ibrahim Zadran. (Photo Source: ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Ibrahim Zadran’s responsibility will be to deliver fierce starts to his team with his opening batting. The right-handed batter has been active in ODI cricket since November 2019 and in these four years, he has scored 829 runs with four centuries and three fifties in 17 matches.

Talking about his batting performance in 2023, the 21-year-old has scored 396 runs in nine ODIs at a strike rate of 80.00. He has also notched up three fifties and a hundred. In the recently concluded three-match ODI series against Pakistan, he scored 80 runs at an average of 26.66.

Except for his performance in the second ODI, Zadran disappointed his Afghanistan fans against the Men in Green. He accumulated a couple of ducks in the competition. However, leaving the failure behind, he will look to showcase his best in the massive continental competition.

2. Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Rahmanullah Gurbaz Century. (Photo Source: ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Eyes will be set on Rahmanullah Gurbaz due to his great form in recent matches. In the Pakistan series, he exuded confidence with his bat. The stylish wicketkeeper batter scored 174 runs with a hundred in three matches and ended up as the leading run-getter in the competition.

In the second ODI in Hambantota, Gurbaz took Pakistan’s bowling unit to the cleaners and played a remarkable knock of 151 runs. The iconic Hambantota knock is also his best innings in ODI cricket. In 2023, he has accumulated 371 runs with a couple of hundreds in nine matches.

Earlier, he also played for Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) and scored 151 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 133.62. Noting the 21-year-old’s current form, the Afghan team management will want him to support Ibrahim Zadran and deliver strong starts to the team in the continental tournament.

3. Rahmat Shah

Rahmat Shah. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Rahmat Shah will be expected to utilise his experience and help the team in the upcoming competition with his batting skills. The 30-year-old has played 95 ODIs since making his debut in the format in 2013. In all these appearances, he has scored 3191 runs with five hundreds and 23 fifties.

However, his batting numbers indicate that he hasn’t performed upto the mark this year. Playing seven matches so far in the year, he has scored just 108 runs with a single fifty to his name. In the 2018 Asia Cup, Shah was a vital member of the team. He played all five matches in the competition and scored 122 runs with a fifty.

This time, he is one of the senior players of the team, and noting that, his responsibility will be to make huge contributions to the side with the bat. Currently, Rahmat is also the leading run-getter for Afghanistan in ODIs, with 3191 runs in 91 innings of 95 matches at a strike rate of 70.44.

4. Hashmatullah Shahidi (c)

Hashmatullah Shahidi. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) (Photo credit should read GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)

Hashmatullah Shahidi, the skipper of the Afghanistan team, will look to lead the team from the front to get impactful results in the continental competition. After getting hammered by Pakistan, Rahmat will have to boost the morale of his boys so that they can live upto the expectations of the Afghan cricket fans.

However, Shahidi’s performance against Pakistan wasn’t impressive as he could score only 28 runs in three matches. Shahidi, who has been a part of the Afghanistan ODI team since 2013, has scored 1665 runs with 14 fifties in 62 ODIs. Considering his experience and skills, the Afghanistan team management always wants him to be among the runs.

In the 2018 Asia Cup, Shahidi was the second-most successful batter for his team. He racked up 263 runs with three fifties in five ODIs. In the Super Four match against Pakistan, he dominated bowlers and played a superb knock of 97 runs off 118 deliveries, with seven fours.

5. Najibullah Zadran

Najibullah Zadran. (Photo Source: Zee 5)

Najibullah Zadran is one of the most important players in the Afghanistan team as he reinforces the middle-order with his skillful batting. He broke into ODI cricket in 2012 and since then, he has scored 2013 runs with 15 fifties and a hundred in 80 innings of 88 one-day matches.

Noting his immense experience, the team will expect him to bring down opponents with the bat in the upcoming Asia Cup. However, Najibullah’s batting numbers aren’t upto the mark in 2023 as he has scored only 29 runs in five innings of six ODIs, at a below-par average of 9.75.

Zadaran was a part of Afghanistan’s 2018 Asia Cup squad. He got three games from his team then and scored 37 runs at an average of 12.33. This time, he will have to produce impactful knocks for his team. With the 2023 World Cup in mind, his endeavours will be to be disciplined with the bat so that he can reserve his spot in the team for the marquee event in India.

6. Mohammad Nabi

Mohammad Nabi. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Former skipper Mohammad Nabi will be expected to utilise his experience and help his team do wonders in the continental tournament. Nabi, who is the most experienced player in this Afghanistan squad, has played 145 ODIs in his 14-year ODI career. In this period, he has scored 3085 runs with 15 fifties and a hundred.

With the ball, he has taken 154 wickets in 140 innings at an economy of 4.29. In the 2018 Asia Cup, the veteran racked up 134 runs and five wickets in five matches. While talking about his recent performance, the 38-year-old has scored 117 runs, this year, in eight innings of nine ODIs.

As a bowler, he has claimed 10 wickets at an economy of 4.51. In the three-match ODI series against Pakistan, he took four wickets in three outings at an economy of 4.08 and played his part efficiently with the ball. In the continental tournament, he will be seen strengthening his team’s middle order with the bat and the spin department with the ball.

7. Gulbadin Naib

Gulbadin Naib (Image source: Twitter)

Along with Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib is also one of the most experienced stalwarts of the Afghanistan team. The 32-year-old broke into ODI cricket in 2011 and currently, he has the experience of playing 77 ODIs, in which he has scored 1170 runs with five fifties in 66 innings.

In the 2018 Asia Cup, the all-rounder was also part of Afghanistan’s campaign, and he contributed 71 runs and took five wickets for his team. This time, his responsibility will be to step up and deliver fine numbers to his side with both bat and ball. This year, he got a chance to appear in two ODIs and he got three wickets and scored 20 runs in a couple of innings.

However, leaving his failures behind, the veteran all-round will try to showcase his mettle in this Asia Cup. As a fast bowler, he will be expected to spearhead the pace-bowling unit and trouble batters. He will get the support of Fazalhaq Farooqui as well who has played 19 ODIs for the team so far.

8. Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Rashid Khan has earned the reputation of a star player due to his extraordinary leg-break bowling skills. The star player has played 92 ODI for Afghanistan since 2015 and is currently the leading wicket-taker for his country with 170 wickets in 87 innings of 92 matches at an economy of 4.15.

Rashid has the ability to turn games in his team’s favour with his superb bowling talent. In the 2018 Asia Cup, he ended up as the joint-leading wicket-taker in the competition, along with Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman and India’s Kuldeep Yadav. He grabbed 10 wickets in five games at an economy of 3.72.

This year, he has played six ODI thus far and has clinched seven wickets at an economy of 3.98. In the Pakistan ODI series, he took three wickets in three games at an economy of 4.56. He will be seen leading the spin attack in the continental tournament, but his team will also want him to play the role of a finisher with the bat as the 24-year-old could be handy with the bat in the lower-middle-order.

9. Noor Ahmad

Noor Ahmad. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Noor Ahmad will be a vital cog in the team as he can give headaches to batters with his left-arm wrist spin bowling. Sri Lankan tracks are known for assisting spinners and noting that, Ahmad could give tough time to batters along with his senior colleagues Rashid and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

The teen cricketer made his ODI debut in Pallekele in November 2022 during his team’s tour of Sri Lanka. In these 10 months, he has got only three ODIs from his team but the team management might utilise him in the marquee event coming ahead.

Ahmad hasn’t had a chance to play a lot of games for his national side but the youngster was active in league cricket. After putting up an impressive show with the ball for Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Ahmad did an excellent job for Dambulla Aura in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Picking up 12 wickets in eight matches at an economy of 7.09, he ended up as the third-leading wicket-taker in the competition.

10. Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Photo Source: Twitter/Afghanistan Cricket)

Mujeeb Ur Rahman will support Rashid and Noor to bolster the Afghan team’s spin attack. Mujeeb has played 64 ODIs in his six-year international career and has bagged 91 wickets at an economy of 4.08. The talented right-arm off-break bowler played this year’s Lanka Premier League (LPL) and delivered decent numbers to his team B-Love Kandy.

Supporting Wanindu Hasaranga, who led Kandy’s spin-bowling department, Rahman contributed eight wickets to his team in 10 matches at a frugal economy of 7.15. With these bowling numbers, he played an instrumental role in Kandy’s spectacular title victory.

The 22-year-old continued his excellent form in the three-match ODI series against Pakistan as well. He claimed five wickets in three games at an economy of 5.26 and became the highest wicket-taker for his team in the series. In the 2018 Asia Cup, Mujeeb played his part brilliantly as he gave his support to Rashid. He took seven wickets in five games and ended up as the second-leading wicket-taker for Afghanistan in the competition. This time, he will look to be better with the ball in the continental tournament.

11. Fazalhaq Farooqi

Fazalhaq Farooqi. (Photo Source: ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Fazalhaq Farooqi will be an essential part of Afghanistan’s team. He has the experience of 19 ODIs, in which he has taken 32 wickets at an economy of 5.34. This year, he has played nine matches and has picked up 15 wickets at an economy of 5.65. In the massive competition, Farooqi will reinforce Afghanistan’s pace attack along with Naib.

Ahead of the marquee Asian competition, Faqrooqi struggled to be disciplined against Pakistan in the recently concluded ODI series. Featuring in all three matches, Farooqi took five wickets but at an expensive economy of 6.64. In the Asia Cup 2023, he will strive to improve his bowling numbers and help his side create history by winning the coveted trophy.

As Afghanistan are in Group B along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the speedster will look to start positively in the series as his record is decent against both sides. Against Bangladesh, he has taken 14 wickets in six matches at an economy of 4.46 while against the hosts Sri Lanka, he has picked up six wickets in six outings