The 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Sub-regional Qualifiers were previously held at this location. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) National Selection Committee approved a 15-man roster on Monday, choosing a mix of new talent and seasoned international experience. Darwish Rasooli has been named captain of Afghanistan’s 15-man team for the 2026 Asian Games, which will take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 24 to October 3.
The selection does not include all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai, wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz, or regular captain Rashid Khan. Najibullah Zadran and Karim Janat, two seasoned activists, hold onto their positions and maintain the group’s continuity. Prominent players from the just-finished Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL) 2026 include all-rounder Karim Janat.
After an outstanding SCL season in which he scored 339 runs in eight innings, top-order batsman Mohammad Akram was rewarded with a national call-up. With one century and two half-centuries, he was among the most impressive achievers.
Ismat Alam finished the league with 294 runs and nine wickets after a solid all-around campaign. He won the Shpageeza Cricket League best player title for his steady efforts in all disciplines, and the selectors have rewarded him with a spot in Japan’s touring party. The selection committee’s intention to use the domestic competition as a legitimate route to international representation is shown in the importance placed on Shpageeza Cricket League performances.
Faisal Khan Shinozada, Nangyal Kharoti, and Hassan Eisakhil (son of seasoned off-spin bowling all-rounder Mohammad Nabi) are other young players on the team who show promise. The T20I series against India in Delhi, which takes place in the days preceding the Aichi-Nagoya competition, is anticipated to feature all three of the senior players who were left out of the Asian Games roster.
The National Selection Committee has chosen to field a separate group for the Asian Games due to the back-to-back nature of the two assignments, allowing a different group of athletes to represent Afghanistan at the multisport competition.
Afghanistan Squad for Asian Games: 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, and Abdullah Ahmadzai.
