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Afghanistan and Pakistan are all set to face each other in the T20I series, starting Friday (March 24) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Pakistan will be captained by Shadab Khan as the team management has rested senior cricketers, namely Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi for the away tour. Meanwhile, the likes of Imad Wasim and Faheem Ashraf have been recalled in the T20I outfit.
When it comes to Afghanistan, who announced their squad on Tuesday, veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has returned to the T20I setup. The Afghan side will be captained by star leg-spinner Rashid Khan.
Both Afghanistan and Pakistan haven’t played a lot of T20I games against each other. In fact, they have only met on three occasions in 2013, 2021 and 2022 and Pakistan won all three matches.
Fixtures of Afghanistan versus Pakistan, T20I series:
- First T20I: March 24, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – 09:30 pm IST/8:00 pm local/04:00 am GMT
- Second T20I: March 26, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – 09:30 pm IST/8:00 pm local/04:00 am GMT
- Third T20I: March 27, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – 09:30 pm IST/8:00 pm local/04:00 am GMT
Squads:
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Afsar Zazai (wk), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan(c), Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karim Janat, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad, Sediqullah Atal
Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood, Mohammad Haris, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan (wk), Shadab Khan (c), Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Zaman Khan, Ihsanullah, Tayyab Tahir
Broadcast and live streaming details:
- India: FanCode
- Pakistan: Geo Super
- Afghanistan: RTA Sports
- USA: ESPN+
- United Kingdom: BT Sport 3
What they said:
“Afghanistan players are hugely popular in the Pakistan Super League. I am sure when cricketers from both sides will wear national jerseys for the upcoming international series, they will demonstrate the highest levels of performances and entertain the passionate and cricket-loving crowds,” said PCB chief Najam Sethi in a statement.
“We appreciate Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) willingness to play Afghanistan in March. This is a significant accomplishment for two neighboring countries. We are hopeful and looking forward to extending our ties with PCB,” said ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf.
