KABUL (Pajhwok): The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has named a 14-member squad for the upcoming 2025 Rising Stars Asia Cup, scheduled to be held from November 14 to 23 in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

Darwish Rasooli, who led the squad to their inaugural title last year, would once again lead the Afghan squad, the ACB said in a statement.

The squad features 10 players from the squad that clinched the previous edition of the tournament, including key players like Sediqullah Atal, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Zubaid Akbari, Mohammad Ishaq, Qais Ahmad and Nangyal Kharoti.

Fast bowler Abdullah Ahmadzai, who recently made his T20I debut, has also been included in the squad for the event.

The Darwish-led squad has been placed in Pool B alongside with Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh A and Hong Kong A and China A.

The Afghan Abdalyan will open their campaign against Bangladesh A on November 17.

ACB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Naseeb Khan stated:“Afghan Abdalyan have emerged victorious in the previous edition of the event and will be defending their title during this year's event in Doha. We cherish the memories from last year, and with the aim of retaining the title, we have named our squad. I am confident the team will perform well and bring pride to the nation once again.”

Squad:

Darwish Rasooli (C), Sediqullah Atal (VC), Noor Rahman (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), ZubaidAkbari, Imran Mir, Rahmanullah Zadran, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Nangyal Kharoti, Farmanullah Safi, QaisAhmad, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Abdullah Ahmadzai and Faridoon Dawoodzai.

Wafiullah Tarakhil, Sediqullah Pacha and Yama Arab are among the reserve players.

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