Afghanistan have pulled Mohammad Saleem into their one-day squad for the three-match series against India, which opens on 13 June in Dharamsala.
The 21-year-old fast bowler had initially been pencilled in for the Test leg only, yet his six-wicket haul in New Chandigarh – and the energy he kept finding in 40-degree heat – has clearly shifted thinking.
Head coach Richard Pybus didn’t try to hide his admiration. “He was just fantastic,” Pybus said when asked about the Test display. “If you come here and you take six wickets in extreme heat against high-quality batting, that goes very well, not just for him as a bowler, but for us as a side.”
Rashid Khan, recovering from a minor back tweak, missed Tuesday’s final practice in Mohali and is expected to link up directly in Dharamsala. Mohammad Nabi has been with the touring party all week but sat out training after feeling under the weather; team staff are hopeful he will be available by the toss.
Saleem’s promotion also reflects a bigger question Afghanistan keep wrestling with – how best to manage a thin pace pool without burning anyone out. Until the Chandigarh Test he had never taken the new ball at international level, operating first change and then returning with the second new rock. Pybus, still only a month into the job, admitted he is learning on the fly. “I don’t have any history with these guys before,” he said. “So in terms of their combinations, this is part of my learning curve. I do know that he has had some niggles in the past. So, yeah, it’s just getting them on the park consistently and allowing them to back up these performances.”
In Mohali nets on Wednesday morning, Saleem hit a brisk length and hurried Rahmanullah Gurbaz a couple of times – gentle reminders of the 140 kph pace he can generate even when the surface looks flat.
After Friday’s opener the two sides move south: Lucknow hosts the second ODI on 16 June, and Chennai wraps things up on the 19th. The schedule, humid venues included, will test squad depth. For Afghanistan the immediate task is simple enough: get Rashid and Nabi fit, keep Saleem’s legs fresh, and hope that the promise glimpsed last week can translate into white-ball punch.
