Due to an injury, Mujeeb will miss the SL T20Is; Rashid’s rehabilitation from back surgery continues

Rahmat Shah and Ikram Alikhil had no place in Afghanistan, where Wafadar Momand and Muhammad Ishaq were also present.
Rashid Khan, the captain of Afghanistan’s Twenty20 international team, is still recovering from back surgery and is not included in the 16-man squad for the forthcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman is also out due to injury. According to an ACB release, Rahman experienced “a sprain in his right phalanx (hand)” prior to the commencement of the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Additionally absent is fast bowler Mohammad Saleem, who is still out due to a hamstring ailment.

The Afghanistan team that played India in a Twenty20 International series last month saw four changes. Afghanistan has dropped top-order batsman Rahmat Shah and wicketkeeper-batter Ikram Alikhil while Mujeeb and Saleem are sidelined due to injuries.

The wicketkeeper-battler Mohammad Ishaq, who was also included in the team for the one-time Test match against Sri Lanka, has been called up to the Twenty20 international team. Additionally, Saleem has been recalled in favor of quick bowler Wafadar Momand.

Before traveling to Sri Lanka for the ODI series, Mujeeb participated in two Twenty20 Internationals against India, played for the Gulf Giants in the ILT20, and then sustained an injury there. However, Saleem was unable to play in the ODI squad because of a hamstring injury. He did, however, play in the third T20I against India and the only Test against Sri Lanka.

In contrast, Rashid hasn’t participated in a major cricket match since the November ODI World Cup. After withdrawing from the BBL this season, he had back surgery and was later ruled out of the SA20.

Rashid withdrew from the forthcoming PSL in order to continue his rehabilitation more lately. Rashid traveled with the team the entire time, but he was not allowed to play in the series against India. In fact, he was sidelined before the T20Is even started.

Ibrahim Zadran will continue to captain the T20I team in Rashid’s absence, just as he did against India and the UAE. Gurbaz will be the head of the order, followed by people like Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, and Azmatullah Omarzai. Fazalhaq Farooqi, along with Momand, Fareed Ahmad, and Naveen-ul-Haq, will spearhead the fast-bowling attack. Along with Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad and Qais Ahmad will comprise a youthful spin-bowling team.

Thus yet, Afghanistan has not experienced much success in Sri Lanka. They are currently 0-2 behind in the three-match ODI series after losing the lone Test by 10 wickets. February 17 marks the start of the Twenty20 International series, with February 19 and 21 scheduled for the second and third matches, respectively. Every game will take place in Dambulla.