The Afghanistan national cricket team has arrived in Dhaka on Saturday to participate in a Test match against the host team, scheduled to begin on June 14th in Dhaka, reports UNB.
The Afghan team is coming to Bangladesh in two separate groups. The first group arrived around 11 am local time, while the second group is expected to reach Dhaka around 5 pm.
Last week, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced the squad for the Bangladesh tour. The 15-man squad has been strengthened with the inclusion of fast bowlers Ibrahim Abdulrahimzai and Nijat Masoud, as well as the promising young leg-spinner Izharulhaq Naweed.
Karim Janat, a talented medium-pace bowling all-rounder, secured his place in the squad after an exceptional all-round performance in the Ahmad Shah Abdali First Class Tournament, where he was named the best player of the tournament.
Unfortunately, star spinner Rashid Khan will miss the tour due to a recent lower-back injury.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) also announced the squad for the Test match, which includes two new faces: Shahadat Hossain Dipu and Musfik Hasan. Shahadat caught the selectors' attention with his batting skills in the longer format of the game, while Musfik impressed with his right-arm fast-medium bowling.
Both Afghanistan and Bangladesh will be without key players, as Afghanistan misses Rashid Khan and Bangladesh will be without their regular captain and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who is also sidelined due to injury.
After this Test match, the Afghanistan team will go back and return again in July to play a three-match ODI and two-match T20I series in Chattogram and Sylhet.
Afghanistan squad for Bangladesh Test: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Afsar Zazai (WK), Ikram Alikhail (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Baheer Shah, Nasir Jamal, Karim Janat, Zahir Khan, Izharulhaq Naweed, Hamza Hotak, Ibrahim Abdulrahimzai, Yamin Ahmadzai, and Nijat Masoud.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
