Rasooli to lead new-look Afghanistan side in Asian Games 2026

Top-order batter Darwish Rasooli will lead a largely inexperienced Afghanistan side at the 2026 Asian Games. Afghanistan have picked six uncapped players in their squad of 15, while five others have fewer than ten international appearances to their names.

Rasooli, Karim Janat and Najibullah Zadran will provide the experience in the squad, while Nangeyalia Kharote is the only other player to have more than ten caps. Kharote is expected to lead the spin attack.

Players who have impressed in the Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL), one of Afghanistan’s domestic T20 competitions, have been rewarded with call-ups.

Mohammad Akram, who was the second-highest run-scorer in the last SCL season, has gotten the nod and so has Khalid Taniwal, who had the second-best strike rate in the competition.

Seam-bowling allrounder Ismat Alam, who has played two Tests for Afghanistan, has also been picked after being named Player-of-the-Tournament in the SCL for scoring 294 runs at a strike rate of 168, while also taking nine wickets with an average of 16.77.

Faisal Shinozada, who scored a century against India in the Under-19 World Cup semi-final in February, has also been picked along with Hassan Eisakhil, the son of Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi. Fast bowler Farmanullah, who was the leading wicket-taker with ten strikes in the recent one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka involving Sri Lanka A and India A, has also made the squad.

Apart from Kharote, legspinner Arab Gul Momand is the only other spinner in the squad, while the fast-bowling department comprises Farmanullah, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Faridoon Dawoodzai and allrounders Ismat and Janat.

The Asian Games will take place in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan from September 24 to October 3.

Afghanistan squad for Asian Games 2026

Darwish Rasooli (capt), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Mohammad Akram, Hassan Eisakhil, Khalid Taniwal, Imran Mir, Faisal Shinozada, Najibullah Zadran, Farmanullah, Ismat Alam, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Arab Gul Momand, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Abdollah Ahmadzai.

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