Afghan batter Zazai named replacement
Fine knocks from Hazratullah Zazai (45) and Najibullah Zadran (44 not out) powered Afghanistan to a six-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the first T20 International of the three-match series in Harare on Saturday.
Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Noor Ahmad will join Rashid and Nabi in Afghanistan's formidable spin attack, which is likely to be key to their performance in the 20-team tournament.
Finn Allen equalled the world record for most sixes in a T20 International as he smashed 16 sixes to propel New Zealand to a thumping 45-run victory against Pakistan in the third T20 International.
Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott was disappointed with the shot selection of his batters in their defeat by India in Thursday's T20 World Cup Super Eight match.
With this, Yuvi also reached his half-century in just 12 balls, the fastest in T20I cricket history.
Naib, who is a travelling reserve, was named as a replacement after Zazai was ruled out due to an abdominal muscle strain.
Premier leg-spinner Rashid Khan was on Saturday picked in a 19-member Afghanistan squad, to be led by young Ibrahim Zadran, for the three T20 Internationals against India starting on January 11 in Mohali.
Sri Lanka knocked out Afghanistan with a six-wicket victory at the Gabba.
The two teams last met in the ODI World Cup in 2023. It was in Mumbai where Glenn Maxwell had played a once-in-a-generation knock to notch up a sensational double hundred while battling cramps all over his body, with Pat Cummins in tow who provided sturdy support from the other end.
Hosts West Indies and Afghanistan will indulge in a battle of one upmanship and strive to gain momentum for the Super Eight stage.
New Zealand find themselves in the a difficult group with two-time champions West Indies and Afghanistan also vying for the the top two spots.
Afghanistan, Australia and Bangladesh are in the running for a place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals.
Without belittling the poised run of the Proteas, Afghanistan have been the revelation of this ICC showpiece.
IMAGES from the Group 1 Super 8 match, played between India and Afghanistan, in Barbados, on Thursday.
Virat Kohli will be expected to hit his straps after a lean run
Maharashtra's Ruturaj Gaikwad created a new world record as he became the first batter to hit seven sixes in a over in List A cricket, enroute to a swashbuckling double century against Uttar Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Afghanistan batsman Hazratullah Zazai achieved one of the rare feats in the game of cricket when he smashed six sixes in an over during an Afghanistan Premier League (APL) T20 match in Sharjah on Sunday.
Saleem, 20, has yet to represent the national team in any format while Rasooli has shown strong form in the Shpageeza Cricket League, Afghanistan's domestic T20 tournament, after recovering from a finger injury.
With the series already in the bag, India will be eager to perfect their freshly-baked T20 template as a team and hope that skipper Rohit Sharma's bat finally fires when they face Afghanistan in the third and last match of the rubber in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The Afghanistan cricket team will hope to provide some joy to its people going through tumultuous times back home as it begins its T20 World Cup campaign against a spirited Scotland on Monday.
Will the young gun survive Virat Kohli's comeback?
Winless in two matches, both India and Afghanistan are out of the tournament and Thursday's match between the two sides in Dubai has been rendered inconsequential.
Rohit, who will also captain the side, will be expected to carry on with his ultra aggressive approach in the powerplay like he showed in the ODI World Cup.
The 22-year-old leg-spinner said on social media that he was not consulted by the ACB, who earlier named an 18-member squad and two reserve players for the tournament in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
However, Curran continued to bamboozle Afghans with his pace, line and length, dismissing Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman for ducks. Curran had got a three-wicket haul, reducing Afghanistan to 109/7.
Afghanistan produced a dominating display of power-hitting before Mujeeb Ur Rahman ripped apart the rival batting line-up with his five-wicket haul as the strife-torn Asian nation routed Scotland by 130 runsl
McKeon blasted 109 runs in just 61 balls with the help of five fours and nine sixes.
All-rounder Thisara Perera became the first Sri Lankan to hit six sixes in an over in any form of professional cricket during a domestic tournament.
According to an ICC release, Maxwell's scores of 56 and 113*, in the two T20Is that helped Australia claim the series 2-0, helped him rise two positions to 3rd in the rankings.
Ravindra Jadeja's performance at India's recent Test win against Sri Lanka in Mohali has catapulted him to the No. 1 position in the MRF Tyres ICC men's Test player rankings.
Afghanistan batsman Hashmatullah Shahidi hit an unbeaten 74 as the World Cup underdogs stunned former champions Pakistan to win by three wickets with two balls to spare in a thrilling warm-up match in Bristol on Friday.
Left-arm wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (716) is next in Rashid's sights, though Josh Hazlewood (792) boasts a strong margin at the top of the list.
IMAGES from the Asia Cup Super 4s match played between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Sharjah on Wednesday.
For Kohli, in probably his last three matches as T20 captain of India, one would expect some prudent team selections and it starts with the question of repeatedly ignoring a player of Ashwin's calibre.
Rajneesh Gupta lists the Afghan players's T20 Internationals records updated after the game against India in the T20 World Cup.
IMAGES from the Asia Cup match played between Afghanistan and Bangladesh in Sharjah on Tuesday.
Images of Asia Cup tie between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan played in Dubai on Saturday
New Zealand batsman Leo Carter on Sunday emulated the likes of Ravi Shastri and Yuvraj Singh when he entered the history books by becoming the seventh cricketer in the world to hit six sixes in an over. Carter achieved the feat during his side Canterbury Kings' win over Northern Knights in New Zealand's domestic Twenty20 tournament Super Smash. The 25-year-old left-handed batsman smashed left-arm spinner Anton Devcich six times over the Hagley Oval boundary during his stunning unbeaten knock of 70 off just 29 balls to seal a seven-wicket win for his side while chasing an imposing 220.
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