Rashid Khan named Afghanistan captain for T20 World Cup

KABUL, Afghanistan — Rashid Khan was named captain of Afghanistan's 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, announced on Wednesday.

Left-arm fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi and all-rounder Gulbadin Naib were included after being left out of the white-ball tour of Bangladesh in October. Pace bowler Naveen-ul-Haq returns after recovering from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the Asia Cup in September; his last T20 was against Zimbabwe in December 2024. Mystery spinner A.M. Ghazanfar was named as a reserve, with experienced slow bowler Mujeeb Ur Rahman preferred for the tournament starting February 7.

"Afghanistan had a terrific run in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup," said Naseeb Khan, the national cricket board’s chief executive officer. "We cherish excellent memories from the past and hope for even better results this year in Asian conditions."

Afghanistan reached the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the U.S., defeating New Zealand, Australia, West Indies and Bangladesh.

Khan’s team will play a three-match T20 series against the West Indies from January 19-22 as preparation. Afghanistan is in Group D with New Zealand, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and Canada, opening against the Kiwis on February 8 in Chennai.

Squad: Rashid Khan (captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Ishaq, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai.