KABUL — The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has officially announced a revamped 15-member squad for the upcoming Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, handing the captaincy reins to middle-order batter Darvish Rasooli.

The selection reflects a deliberate shift toward youth development and bench strength. Mainstay superstars—including regular T20I skipper Rashid Khan and all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai—have been rested from the tournament, opening up opportunities for the next generation of Afghan talent on the continental stage.

Despite the heavy emphasis on emerging talent, the squad retains a solid backbone of international experience with the inclusion of veteran power-hitter Najibullah Zadran and all-rounder Karim Janat.

Shpageeza League Performers Rewarded

The selection committee heavily rewarded standouts from the recently concluded 11th edition of the Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL). Top-order batter Mohammad Akram earned a call-up following a dominant season, where he amassed 339 runs across eight innings at an impressive clip, including a century and two half-centuries.

Similarly, all-rounder Ismat Alam secured his spot in the national setup off the back of a strong dual contribution—hammering 294 runs and picking up nine wickets in the tournament. Other notable young inclusions featured in the traveling party include wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Ishaq, Hassan Eisakhil, Khalid Taniwal, and Imran Mir.

Afghanistan will head into the multisport event shortly after hosting the Indian team for a short bilateral series a week prior.

Asian Games 2026 Men's Cricket Schedule

The men’s cricket event will run from September 24 to October 3 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

  • September 24–26: Preliminary Group Stage Matches

  • September 28: Quarter-final 1 (5:30 AM IST) & Quarter-final 2 (10:30 AM IST)

  • September 29: Quarter-final 3 (5:30 AM IST) & Quarter-final 4 (10:30 AM IST)

  • October 1: Semi-final 1 & 2 (5:30 AM IST & 10:30 AM IST)

  • October 3: Bronze Medal Match & Gold Medal Final

Official 15-Member Afghanistan Squad:

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