Afghanistan has revealed its 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025, with Rashid Khan, the veteran spinner, to lead, while Naveen-ul-Haq reverses retirement to feature in the Asia Cup squad.
Afghanistan Cricket team has announced its final squad for the Asia Cup, three weeks after it announced a preliminary 22-member squad for the continental championship. The last time, the T20 World Cup semi-finalists retained their veteran cricketers, while also bringing back players from retirement.
Afghans would enter the competition as one of the strongest opponents and would back themselves to win the competition. In the last three ICC events, they have emerged as the second-best Asian opposition.
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Afghanistan Squad For Asia Cup 2025: Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Allah Ghazanfar, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Farid Malik, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Afghanistan names Rashid Khan as skipper for the Asia Cup
Afghanistan, a Middle Eastern nation, has risen to new standards in the game of cricket after its players started playing in the global leagues around the world. Afghanistan’s most veteran spinner, Rashid Khan, has been handed the captaincy role in the side.
Khan is one of the most enigmatic figures in world cricket; he has played for nearly a decade now and has picked over 600 T20 wickets, combining franchise competitions as well as international matches.
He will be paired alongside another veteran all-rounder, Mohammed Nabi, while Mujeeb ur Rehman Zadran and Noor Ahmed have also been included in the squad. Afghan young sensation Allah Ghazanfar, who missed out on his IPL debut last season, has also been named for the Asia Cup as the fifth spinner in the side.
Naveen-ul-haq reverses international retirement
Naveen-Ul-Haq has returned to the national team for the first time since December 2024, having retired from ODI cricket. The former LSG pacer had announced his International retirement last year to focus on playing in franchise tournaments.
Since then, he has been seen playing in every global league around the world, and now ACB has seemingly brought him back, looking at his commendable performances around the globe.
He will form a trio alongside the seasoned Afghan pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi and Farid Malik. While another veteran all-rounder, Gulbadin Naib, and all-rounder Karim Janat, named in the squad, can also bring along some handy fast bowling ability.
Afghanistan to kick off Asia Cup against Hong Kong on 9th September
Afghanistan reached the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies last year. This was their best performance in an ICC event, where the Rashid Khan-led side historically defeated Australia and New Zealand for the first time in an ICC tournament.
The Afghans have been drafted into Group B in the Asia Cup, where they will feature alongside Hong Kong, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, the defending champions of the T20 Asia Cup from 2022.
They are scheduled to kickstart the tournament with a match against Hong Kong on the 9th of September, which will mark the opening of the tournament in Abu Dhabi. Afghans will then go on to face Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at the same venue on the 16th and 18th of September.
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