Afghanistan have announced their 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. Skipper Rashid Khan will lead the side with plenty of experience around him, while senior all-rounder Mohammad Nabi continues to be the team’s ever-reliable presence at 40 years of age.

Spin remains Afghanistan’s biggest strength

Whenever Afghanistan take the field, spin bowling naturally takes centre stage. The squad sees the return of mystery spinner Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman and young prodigy Allah Ghazanfar, both of whom missed the Champions Trophy earlier this year. With Rashid, Nabi, and left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad also in the mix, Afghanistan’s spin department looks as dangerous as ever and will no doubt trouble opposition batters in subcontinent conditions.

Ibrahim Zadran returns

On the batting front, Ibrahim Zadran makes a comeback after his Champions Trophy appearance and is expected to anchor the top order. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the explosive wicketkeeper-batter, will once again be key to providing fast starts. Youngsters Darwish Rasooli and Sediqullah Atal add fresh energy in the middle order, while Mohammad Ishaq has also been included as a backup keeper. Hazratullah Zazai, however, has been left out to make way for more consistency at the top.

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All-rounders provide balance, pace attack gets firepower

Afghanistan’s all-round department looks well settled, with Nabi joined by Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, and Gulbadin Naib — all players who can contribute with both bat and ball. The pace attack will be led by left-arm quick Fazalhaq Farooqi, supported by Naveen-ul-Haq and Farid Ahmad Malik.

Afghanistan squad for Asia Cup 2025:

Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, AM Ghazanfar, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq.

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