(MENAFN- IANS) Sharjah, Aug 27 (IANS) Afghanistan's T20I squad, spearheaded by Rashid Khan and bolstered by the returns of Ibrahim Zadran and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, is set to take on Pakistan and UAE in a tri-series starting Friday in Sharjah.

The tournament offers the team critical match practice and a chance to gather insights on their Asia Cup opponents ahead of the ICC Men's T20 Asia Cup, which begins in the UAE on September 9.

The 17-member squad largely mirrors Afghanistan's Asia Cup roster, with Naveen

Haq absent. In his place, 22-year-old pacer Abdollah Ahmadzai has been named. Ahmadzai, who has taken 14 wickets in 10 T20 matches, is yet to make his international debut and is among the reserves for the Asia Cup.

A key development for the tri-series is the potential T20I debut of mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar, who joins an already formidable spin unit consisting of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Noor Ahmad. With this combination, Afghanistan aims to leverage their spin strength on the Sharjah pitches.

The tri-series also marks the return of opener Ibrahim Zadran, who missed Afghanistan's last T20I assignment in Zimbabwe in December 2024, while left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote has been left out of the main squad but remains a reserve for the Asia Cup. Afghanistan will kick off the tri-series against Pakistan, followed by two encounters with UAE in a double round-robin format. The top two teams will advance to the final on September 7, with a tight turnaround expected before Afghanistan's Asia Cup opener against Hong Kong on September 9.

Alongside Rashid, Zadran, and Mujeeb, other key members of the squad include Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Noor Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad, and Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Afghanistan squad for UAE tri-series:

Rashid Khan (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi

MENAFN27082025000231011071ID1109984048