Primed to make a mark in favourite format

The fact that Afghanistan have had nine players in teams' rosters for the Indian Premier League this season speaks volumes about the reputation of Afghan individuals as well as Afghanistan as a team in Twenty20 cricket. To put this into perspective, that number is more than Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and on par with New Zealand and West Indies -- the latter two regarded as powerhouses in all forms of cricket.

 The Rashid Khan-led side are full of utility players and match-winners, and even though they have not yet been able to make a meaningful impact in six T20 World Cup campaigns, this could be their breakthrough year, especially with the confidence gained from a truly outstanding ODI World Cup campaign last year.

 Hashmatullah Shahidi, who captained Afghanistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup, was not selected. There was no place either for left-hand opener Hazratullah Zazai  in the main squad. He is one of three travelling reserves to the USA and the Caribbean, alongside Sediqullah Atal and Mohammad Saleem.

 The build-up to the World Cup has been smooth this time, with most of the players getting some gametime, either in the IPL or other franchise tournaments. And there wasn't any captaincy drama either this time around, showing signs of the growing maturity of the team since last year's World Cup.

 The Afghans have played 10 matches this calendar year, losing five of those against 4 wins and a tie, which came against India in January.

 They have played series against UAE, Sri Lanka and Ireland this year, remarkably breaching the 200-run mark twice.Then again, Afghanistan have got themselves bowled out pretty cheaply twice too.

SQUAD

Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik

KEY PLAYER
Rashid Khan
It doesn't get much better than Rashid Khan when it comes to T20 cricket. A complete package with tremendous hitting ability with the bat and assured in the outfield, Rashid's batting and fielding qualities superbly complement his world-beating skills as a wrist-spinner. Can bring down any opposition on his own.

STRENGTH
All bases covered in bowling
Afghanistan have all the bases covered as far as bowling skills in T20 cricket is concerned. The squad features four pace-bowling all-rounders, two spin-bowling all-rounders apart from two specialist pacers and three specialist spinners. The specialist spinners are a fine mix, with one being a left-arm and one being a Chinaman alongside one of the mystery kind.

WEAKNESS
Batting lacks balance
This team is a little light in specialist batters' department. Once past the top four, the all-rounders come into play, with most of them more renowned for their quick scoring ability than the ability to anchor the innings.

IMPACT PLAYER
Rahmanullah Gurbaz
With a relatively light top-order, Afghanistan's prospects of a good score will rely heavily on the start given by Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. While Zadran will look to anchor the innings, the responsibility to make an impact straight-up will be on Gurbaz.

Stat Attack 
T20 WC Appearance: 7th
T20 WC Performance: Played 22, Won 7, Lost 15

DID YOU KNOW?
Afghanistan hold the record for the most runs in a T20I innings among full-member states (278/3 against Ireland). 

FORM GUIDE: W, W, L, W, L, L, T, L, L, W