Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad has made a return to the national team as the 16-man squad for the upcoming ODI series against Pakistan. It was announced on Sunday, August 6, 2023, that the three-match series will be played in Sri Lanka from 22 August to 26 August preparation for the 2023 Asia Cup begins. The development comes after the 18-year-old was dropped for the recently concluded ODI series in Bangladesh. With the return, the selectors have indicated that Noor Ahmad is in the plans for the Asia Cup and the World Cup.
Noor Ahmad recently played two ODIs in Sri Lanka and returned with only two wickets in the same number of matches. However, the left-arm wrist spinner has done exceptionally well in T20s. He took 16 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 7.82 for Gujarat Titans in the last year of the Indian Premier League.
Afghnistan's 18-year-old Noor Ahmed. Three important wickets- Tim David, Suryakumar Yadav and Cameron Green. Gujarat Titans have surely hit a gold mine in him. Add Rashid Khan and you have a fantastic spin bowling attack. #GTvsMI #IPL2023 pic.twitter.com/eBfZt2ZpHE
— Ridhima Pathak (@PathakRidhima) April 25, 2023
The Afghan spinner also has a lot of experience playing in the Big Bash League, Pakistan Super League and The Hundred. Asadullah Khan chief selector of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, said in a statement:
“Our whole concentration is to prepare the team for the upcoming two big events of Asia Cup and the World Cup 2023. This three-match ODI series against Pakistan provides us with a wonderful opportunity to prepare the team for the forthcoming two events.”
He added:
“The preparations for the Pakistan series are progressing well; the players have recently performed well in the Kabul Camp, which has been supervised by ACB’s high performance centre staff. The team will also undergo a week-long conditioning camp prior to the Pakistan Series.“
🚨 SQUAD ALERT 🚨
Here's Afghanistan Squad for the three-match ODI series against @TheRealPCB, scheduled for August 22 to 26 in Sri Lanka. 🤩
More 👉: https://t.co/xyMDNLhxnV #AfghanAtalan | #AFGvPAK | #ByaLobaGato | #SuperCola pic.twitter.com/BUKktPp0WN
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) August 6, 2023
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Afghanistan Team vs. Pakistan Team
Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Mohammad Saleem Safi and Wafadar Momand.
Reserves: Farid Ahmad Malik and Shahidullah Kamal.
AFG vs PAK schedule
August 22 – 1st ODI, Hambantota, Sri Lanka
August 24 – 2nd ODI, Hambantota, Sri Lanka
August 26 – 3rd ODI, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Pakistan and Afghanistan have faced each other in four ODIs. The Green in Maine has a 100 percent win record against its neighbors.
