AFG vs SA: Rashid Khan makes his return as Afghanistan includes fresh talent for ODI series against South Africa

New Delhi: Rashid Khan is all set to mark the return to international cricket, as Afghanistan announce a fine bunch of players including young talents Abdul Malik and Darwish Rasooli for a 3-match series starting on September 12.

Hastamullah Shahidi will lead the side in their upcoming ODI series against South Africa, he will have Rahmat Shah’s assistance as vice-captain.

The Afghan squad for the ODI series against the Proteas announced on September 12 retains a number of experienced players, including Gulbadin Naib and Mohammad Nabi. However, with a spate of injuries to some of their key players, including Ibrahim Zadran with an ankle sprain, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman with a right phalanx sprain, there is some room for emerging talent. Youngsters Abdul Malik-a right-handed top-order batter and one of the success stories from the recent domestic List A cricket-along with Darwish Rasooli, the top-order batsman who has played seven T20Is, find places in this squad.

This series of ODIs will also be the first time that Afghanistan and South Africa will be meeting each other away from ICC events. All three matches have been organized by the Afghanistan Cricket Board to be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Their last encounter was at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, where South Africa comfortably defeated Afghanistan in the semi-finals. This match was also Rashid Khan’s final appearance, as he has been on a break since then.

Afghanistan Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.