Afghanistan T20 World Cup Team For 2022 [Complete Guide]
Afghanistan has qualified for a direct entry into the Super 12 Group in the ICC T20 World Cup scheduled to take place from October 16 to November 13, 2022, in Australia. The Afghanistan cricket team has joined their counterparts like Australia, New Zealand, India, England, Pakistan, South Africa, and Bangladesh in the prestigious T20 tournament known for its action-packed performances and close contests.
This is important because other teams like the two-time champion West Indies and a strong team like Sri Lanka have been placed in Round 1. Sri Lanka and West Indies will have to play qualifier matches, Namibia and Scotland, and four other teams are selected in world cup qualifier tournaments in Oman in February 2022 and Zimbabwe in July 2022.
As per the schedule that the ICC has recently announced, the Afghanistan cricket team will have its first match with England on October 22, a day before the much-awaited India-Pakistan game. The schedule of the Afghanistan team for the T20 World Cup is as follows:
The performance of Afghanistan in these five matches will decide its future in the tournament. It is expected that the team will have to win matches against established teams like England, New Zealand, and Australia if they want to play in the semi-finals or the finals and win the tournament.
About the Afghanistan T20 World Cup Team
Here’s all you need to know about Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup team:
History
Afghanistan played their first T20I International in February 2010 against Ireland. Since then, the team has played 89 matches till the 2021 T20 World Cup match with New Zealand. The team has won 60 and lost 28 with 1 tie, amassing a respectable win percentage of 67.97%.
The stats of the Afghanistan Cricket Team in T20s can be captured in a snapshot as follows:
The Afghanistan team holds the world record of scoring the highest ever T20I score at 278/3 in February 2019 against Ireland in Dehradun.
As of January 2022, the team is ranked at the 7th position in the ICC T20 Rankings with 17 matches, 3,951 points, and a rating of 232.
Afghanistan cricket team sponsor is still not finalised. As per as historic records go, names like Dream11, Alokozay Group and Sediki Group have been the sponsors for the team in the past.
Due to a turbulent political situation back home that is often in the news, Afghanistan has been playing its home matches in India. For instance, after acquiring test status in June 2018, Afghanistan Cricket Federation requested BCCI to change the home ground from Dehradun.
In August 2019, BCCI approved the request by allotting Ekana Stadium in Lucknow as the home ground for the Afghanistan international cricket team.
It is expected that the Afghanistan Team for T20 World Cup will continue to play daring cricket in line with their recent results.
Likely Squad for the T20 World Cup
The expected squad for the T20 World Cup for Afghanistan is likely to be as follows:
- Mohammad Nabi (C)
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)
- Mohammad Shahzad (wk)
- Usman Ghani
- Hazratullah Zazai
- Gulbadin Naib
- Hashmatullah Shahidi
- Karim Janat
- Hamid Hassan
- Rashid Khan
- Mujeeb Ur Rahman
- Najibullah Zadran
- Naveen Ul Haq
- Fareed Ahmad
There could be a few changes in the squad mentioned above as per the team's recent form, fitness, and other changes. A more confirmed team will emerge closer to the date of the tournament.
Previous coaches and captains
Successful players like Nawroz Mangal, Mohammad Nabi, Asghar Afghan, and Rashid Khan have been former Afghanistan T20 captains. Nawroz Mangal was the captain from 2009 to 2012. Asghar Afghan has been a successful captain during the 2015 to 2021 period.
Rashid Khan was appointed captain in 2019, but he resigned after a short period due to differences with the selectors.
Mohammad Nabi has been the captain of the Afghanistan Cricket team since 2013 in different periods and his tenure has seen significant ups and downs in the history of Afghanistan cricket.
It is expected that Nabi will continue to lead the team as the Afghanistan T20 World Cup Captain in the 2022 edition.
Here’s a breakdown of the Afghan cricket team’s captains from past to present:
Veterans like Lalchand Rajput, Inzamam ul Haq, and Lance Klusener have been coaches of the Afghanistan Cricket Team. Lance Klusener was the last coach of the Afghanistan team for the T20 World Cup in 2021 after his appointment in September 2019.
Klusener stepped down from his position as the head coach after the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The Afghanistan Cricket Board is expected to announce the team's new head coach soon.
Performance in the past T20 World Cups
Afghanistan Cricket Team made its debut in the T20 World Cup in 2010 and has played regularly in the last five editions, i.e., in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2021. The performance of the team has improved over the years.
After crashing out of the tournament in the first three editions in the Group Stage, the team reached the Super 10 stage in 2016. It also directly reached the Super 12 stage in the 2021 tournament and stood at the fourth position in Group B with two wins out of the five matches.
It is expected that the Afghanistan team will continue to put up a brave display of cricket in the T20 World Cup with its brave batting order and explosive bowling line-up.
Likely predictions for the 2022 T20 World Cup
some predictions about the Afghanistan Team for T20 World Cup are as follows:
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The magical spin duo of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman is expected to continue to impress against world-class cricket teams during the 2022 T20 World Cup.
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The explosive top order with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, and Mohammad Shahzad is expected to play their natural game in the five scheduled matches to improve the performance of the Afghanistan team in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
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Mohammad Nabi will continue to lead as the Afghanistan T20 World Cup Captain and play the role of shield anchor and a practical all-rounder; and, in the middle of the order as a batsman and the third spin bowling option for the team.
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Afghanistan can cause a significant upset to a few established teams in the 2022 edition. It is too early to dismiss Afghanistan from the tournament with an explosive batting lineup, magical spin bowling options, and good all-rounders.
This is all about the Afghanistan Cricket Team for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. We will continue to bring the latest updates and news from the Afghanistan cricket team camp.
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