Darwish Rasooli to captain Afghanistan squad at Asian Games

Afghanistan have named a largely inexperienced 15-member squad for the 2026 Asian Games, with top-order batter Darwish Rasooli appointed captain for the tournament in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

The squad features six uncapped players, while five others have made fewer than 10 international appearances, highlighting Afghanistan’s focus on developing their next generation of cricketers.

The Asian Games will be held from September 24 to October 3, with Afghanistan opting to rest several of their established stars for the competition.

Regular captain Rashid Khan, along with key players Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Azmatullah Omarzai, have not been included in the squad.

Experienced campaigners Najibullah Zadran and Karim Janat, however, will provide some international experience to a youthful group selected by the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s National Selection Committee.

A majority of the squad members earned their places following impressive performances in the recently concluded 11th edition of the Shpageeza Cricket League.

Top-order batter Mohammad Akram was among the standout performers, scoring 339 runs in eight innings, including a century and two fifties.

All-rounder Ismat Alam was another major beneficiary of his SCL campaign. He accumulated 294 runs and claimed nine wickets to win the tournament’s best player award.

Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Ishaq, Hassan Eisakhil, Khalid Taniwal and Imran Mir are among the other young players included in the squad.

The Asian Games campaign will come shortly after Afghanistan’s three-match T20I series against India in Delhi, which is scheduled to take place in the week leading into the continental event.

Afghanistan Asian Games squad: Darwish Rasooli (c), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Mohammad Akram, Hassan Eisakhil, Khalid Taniwal, Imran Mir, Faisal Khan Shinozada, Najibullah Zadran, Farmanullah Safi, Ismat Alam, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Arab Gul Momand, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Abdullah Ahmadzai.