No Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman in Afghanistan's squad for Sri Lanka T20Is

Afghanistan would play the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka without their two lead spinners Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman.

While Rashid continues to heal from his back injury, Mujeeb sprained his right hand before the recent ODI series and has yet to recover, according to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). In Rashid's absence, Ibrahim Zadran, who led Afghanistan in the last two T20I series in the UAE and India, will be the captain.

Fast Bowler Mohammad Safi is also out with a hamstring strain while batters Ikram Alikhil and Rahmat Shah were dropped. Wafadar Momand was added to the team as Safi's replacement while Mohammad Ishaq also received a call-up

"We have a close sight on the upcoming T20 World Cup for which we want to prepare a very good mix of players consisting of both juniors and seniors," chief selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil said. "This series alongside the three T20Is against Ireland in March is a good opportunity for us to test our bench strength and finalize a good squad for the mega event.”

Naseeb Khan, the CEO of ACB. added:

"We have consistently aimed to provide our young players with the exposure they deserve, a commitment we have maintained successfully so far. Building a strong bench strength is a priority for us, as we want to ensure we have good backups for our key players when needed, the role Qais Ahmad is currently playing for Rashid Khan."

The matches will be played between February 17 and 21 in Dambulla. The Afghans are yet to win a game on the tour, having lost the one-off Test and the first two of the three-ODI rubber.

Afghanistan's full squad for Sri Lanka T20Is

Ibrahim Zadran (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Wafadar Momand and Qais Ahmad.