Darwish Rasooli will once again steer Afghanistan A at the ACC Rising Stars Asia Cup in Doha from 14-23 November, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed on Wednesday. Ten members of last year’s victorious side keep their places, among them Sediqullah Atal, AM Ghazanfar and leg-spinner Qais Ahmad.
Chief selector Noor Malikzai explained the largely unchanged group, saying, “Continuity is important; most of these lads delivered the title last year.” Rasooli himself, reflecting on 2024, had remarked, “We trusted our processes and enjoyed ourselves.” The ACB clearly hopes that settled core can repeat the trick.
Key names
Atal, now a regular in the senior set-up with 22 T20Is, 12 ODIs and a Test behind him, struck a decisive half-century in last year’s final against Sri Lanka A. The left-hander again acts as Rasooli’s deputy.
Fast bowler Abdollah Ahmadzai, fresh from a maiden T20I series in Zimbabwe, leads the pace unit, while 19-year-old mystery spinner Ghazanfar returns after a quiet run in Bangladesh in September. Qais, out of national colours since 2024, provides additional wrist-spin experience.
Group and fixtures
Afghanistan A sit in Pool B with Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh A and Hong Kong. They open against Sri Lanka A on 15 November, meet Bangladesh A two days later and finish the group phase versus Hong Kong on 19 November. Semi-finals are set for 21 November, the final for 23 November.
Pool A pairs India A, Pakistan A, Oman A and UAE A.
Balanced squad
Alongside Rasooli and Atal, the selectors have retained Noor Rahman and Mohammad Ishaq as wicket-keepers. All-rounders Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai and Nangeyalia Kharote bolster the middle order, while Bilal Sami’s extra pace offers variety on typically slow Gulf pitches.
Analytical view
Afghanistan’s strength remains its spin depth. On Doha surfaces that have tended to grip, Ghazanfar’s carrom-ball and Qais’s leg-breaks could again prove decisive. The challenge lies in batting resilience; last year’s run was built on regular top-order contributions, and similar consistency will be needed against India or Pakistan should the sides meet in the knock-outs.
Squad list
Darwish Rasooli (capt), Sediqullah Atal (vice-capt), Noor Rahman (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Zubaid Akbari, Imran Mir, Rahmanullah Zadran, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Nangeyalia Kharote, Farmanullah Safi, Qais Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Faridoon Dawoodzai.
Reserves: Wafiullah Tarakhil, Sediqullah Pacha, Yama Arab.
Up next
The squad assembles in Kabul this week for a short camp before flying to Qatar. As Malikzai put it, “The target is simple: defend the trophy and keep the pipeline strong.”
