Regular T20I captain Rashid Khan has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match T20I series against the UAE as the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s selection committee unveiled an 18-member squad on Friday.

“Afghanistan Cricket Board’s Selection Committee named an 18-member Afghanistan National Squad for the three-match T20I Series against UAE starting tomorrow at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE,” ACB said in an official statement.

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In Rashid’s absence, top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran will lead the team for the duration of the series. Afghanistan’s three-match T20I series against the UAE is scheduled to be played from December 29 to January 2, 2024, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

“Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s regular T20I Captain, misses out on the main squad as he recovers from the back surgery he recently underwent. Ibrahim Zadran, a top-order batter, has been appointed as the standby captain and will lead the AfghanAtalan lineup for the three-match T20I series against the UAE,” the statement further added.

Notably, fast bowlers Fazal Haq Farooqi and Naveen Ul Haq, two of the three players, who recently faced sanctions for their intention to opt out of the annual central contracts, have also been added to the squad. They have approached the ACB and demonstrated a strong desire to represent their country again and have requested the previously assigned committee to reconsider its decision regarding the disciplinary measures imposed against them.

In response, the ACB acknowledged and praised their eagerness to collaborate closely with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and continue their commitment to playing for the country. Furthermore, the ACB directed the relevant committee assigned to the matter to conduct a comprehensive investigation and urged them to communicate their findings and proposed solutions to the board after thoroughly assessing the players’ requests.

In its prior press release, the ACB had indicated that it would assess and determine the involvement of these players in events as necessary. Consequently, two of these players have now been included in the squad for the UAE series based on this consideration by the board.

Afghanistan’s Squad for the three-match T20I Series against UAE: Ibrahim Zadran (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Darwish Rasooli, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmaullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem and Qais Ahmad.

Reserves: Rashid Khan, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Ikram Alikhil and Gulbadin Naib have been included in the squad as reserves.