Kabul, Nov 2 (IANS): Wicketkeeper-batter Ikram Alikhil will lead Afghanistan A at the Rising Stars Asia Cup, with the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s (ACB) national selection committee naming a 15-member squad, along with three reserve players.
The tournament will be played in Doha, Qatar, from November 19 to 29. Alikhil, who has played three Tests and 33 ODIs, leads a side that features several notable names like Ijaz Ahmadzai, AM Ghazanfar, Darwish Rasooli, Hassan Eisakhil, Qais Ahmad, Bilal Sami and Qais Ahmad.
Fast bowler Sami was recently a part of the ODI tri-series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. The selectors have turned to Ahmadzai, who has shown plenty of promise in the ongoing T20I series against Zimbabwe.
He made the cut on the back of successive half-centuries in the first two matches. With Alikhil set to be primary wicketkeeper while leading the side, Mohammad Ishaq has been picked as the second wicketkeeper in the squad.
Afghanistan A have been placed in Pool A along with Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh A and Hong Kong, China. The other group comprises India A, Pakistan A, the UAE and Nepal. Top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals. In last year’s edition, Afghanistan didn’t enter the knockouts after finishing third in Group A.
Afghanistan A will begin their campaign against Sri Lanka A on November 19, the opening day of the tournament, before taking on Bangladesh A on November 21. They will then round off their group-stage commitments against Hong Kong, China on November 23.
The semi-finals will be played on November 26 and 27, with the final scheduled for Sunday, November 29. All the matches, including the knockout games, will be held in Doha. Besides the main squad, the selectors have named three reserves in Abdullah Tarakhil, Khalid Taniwal and Izharulhaq Naveed, who will be on standby for the tournament.
Afghanistan A squad: Ikram Alikhil (captain & wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Hassan Eisakhil, Imran Mir, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Darwish Rasooli, Faisal Khan Shinozada, Baheer Shah Mahbooob, Farmanullah Safi, Qais Ahmad, Naseer Khan Maroofkhil, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Bashir Ahmad, and Naveed Zadran.
Reserves: Abdullah Tarakhil, Khalid Taniwal, and Izharulhaq Naveed.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
