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Afghanistan have named an interesting mix of exciting youngsters as well as experienced players in their 17-man Asia Cup 2023 squad.
While they lost the ODI series against Pakistan, Afghanistan have shown glimpses of being a competitive side and will try and give their best to get out of their tricky Asia Cup group consisting of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. They could possibly be the giant killers in Sri Lankan conditions just in case they make it out of their group.
Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Rashid Khan, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Abdul Rahman, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Suliman Safi, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
On that note, let's try and analyze their squad from all possible angles:
Strengths: Openers and spinners
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran are turning out to be quite a formidable partnership at the top of the order. Ibrahim's classical strokeplay nicely complements Gurbaz's explosive approach and that was seen in the second ODI against Pakistan where they added a massive 227 runs for the first wicket.
Apart from their openers, Afghanistan also have the experienced spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Mohammad Nabi to turn to. In favorable conditions, their spinners could be too much to handle on their day for the opposition.
Weaknesses: Middle-order and fast bowling
Afghanistan showed in the ODIs against Pakistan that their middle order wasn't able to withstand the pressure on them by the opposition. They seem overdependent on their openers to provide a fantastic start. However, the return of Najibullah Zadran and the presence of Mohammad Nabi will be crucial for them.
Azmatullah Omarzai's side strain has ruled him out of the Asia Cup. In addition to that, Afghanistan have also not picked the experienced Naveen ul Haq. This means that they could bank a bit too much on Fazalhaq Farooqui to provide the goods across all phases of the bowling innings. The likes of Abdul Rahman have been expensive and other bowlers will need to step up and support Farooqui
Opportunities: Karim Janat's comeback and potential Super Fours
Karim Janat has played just a solitary ODI for Afghanistan so far. However, the all-rounder has been a key part of the T20 setup and an injury to Omarzai could potentially give him the chance to cement his place in the ODI side by performing well.
They do have a tricky group, but it is also an opportunity for stars like Gurbaz, Rashid and others to step up and show that they are a competitive ODI team as well.
Threats: Fielding and bowling form
Despite being one of their most experienced bowlers, Fazalhaq Farooqui has been expensive of late in the death overs. The same was seen during the Pakistan ODIs when Naseem Shah got length deliveries from Farooqui which he took full advantage of.
Rashid Khan's form is also a bit concerning as he picked up just three wickets in the recently concluded ODI series against Pakistan. Afghanistan will also need to be careful in the field as it has made quite a difference between winning and losing for them.
Afghanistan's form of late hasn't been great in ODIs. But if they have clarity in their approach and address the aforementioned issues, they might just pull a rabbit out of the hat in the Asia Cup.
