Afghanistan’s campaign will start in Abu Dhabi when they meet Hong Kong in the tournament opener. Their remaining Group B matches, which are all slated for the same location, will pair them against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Aakash Chopra’s Probable Afghanistan XI
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Chopra floated what he thinks would be Afghanistan’s playing lineup. He used a combination of their legendary spinners, dependable top-order batsmen, and excellent all-rounders.
“Ibrahim Zadran with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, then Sediqullah Atal and Darwish Rasooli, and after that, Azmatullah Omarzai and Karim Jannat, Rashid Khan after Mohammad Nabi, and then Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad and Naveen-ul-Haq,” he said.
Chopra further noted that the team management could consider Mujeeb Ur Rahman or young spinner Allah Ghazanfar as additional options, depending on conditions. While assessing the squad’s balance, Chopra did not rule out the possibility of Afghanistan making it all the way to the final.
“I feel this could be the XI for now. Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Allah Ghazanfar can also play. They can make plenty of changes and make their bowling even better. You make them contenders if you give pitches to their liking. I was talking about an India-Sri Lanka final yesterday, but if it isn’t an India-Sri Lanka final, an India-Afghanistan final is also a great possibility,” Chopra observed.
Afghanistan’s Biggest Weapon
Aakash stated, “It’s a good mixture of experience and youth. They have the experience of Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan, and you will also see Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz there. You will see strikers and anchors, and an all-rounder in Azmatullah Omarzai. It’s a very well-balanced and a good, healthy mix of experience and youth.”
“The second incredible thing about them is their spin department. Rashid Khan is back. You get Noor Ahmad along with him. If you manage one, you will get trapped by the other. If you manage there, Mohammad Nabi bowls very well. If they wish, they have Allah Ghazanfar as well. They can play with four spinners, which means they can bowl 16 overs of spin,” Chopra noted.
