Afghanistan squad for the Asia Cup 2025: Captain and Full team list
The Asia Cup 2025 is just about to happen. Afghan fans are waiting for their team to show up in the upcoming T20I tri-series and the Asia Cup 2025. Fans have a question in their mind:
What is the Afghanistan squad for the Asia Cup 2025?
The Afghanistan squad for the Asia Cup 2025 and the Tri-Nation series has been announced. It is a 22-member preliminary squad yet. ACB will shortlist the players in two weeks. ACB announced it on August 7, 2025. ICC posted the complete squad list on Facebook. Here is the complete squad with the full team list and the captain.
Afghanistan squad for the Asia Cup 2025: Full list
| Player Name | Player Role |
|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | WK (Wicketkeeper) |
| Sediqullah Atal | Batter |
| Wafiullah Tarkhil | All-rounder |
| Ibrahim Zadran | Batter |
| Darwish Rasooli | Batter |
| Mohammad Ishaq | Batter |
| Rashid Khan | C (Captain) |
| Mohammad Nabi | All-rounder |
| Nangyal Kharoti | All-rounder |
| Sharafuddin Ashraf | All-rounder |
| Karim Janat | All-rounder |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | All-rounder |
| Gulbadin Naib | All-rounder |
| Mujeeb Zadran | Bowler |
| AM Ghazanfar | Bowler |
| Noor Ahmad Lakanwal | Bowler |
| Fazal Haq Farooqi | Bowler |
| Naeen ul Haq | Bowler |
| Farid Malik | Bowler |
| Salim Safi | Bowler |
| Abdullah Ahmadzai | Batter |
| Bashir Ahmad | Bowler |
Also Check: Pakistan Squad for the Asia Cup 2025
Why is the Asia Cup 2025 important for Afghanistan?
The Asia Cup 2025 has significant advantages for all teams. The Afghanistan cricket board will test the players and see their skills. If the team plays well, they can win the tournament through their skills. Afghan fans are always patriotic about cricket.
The Asia Cup 2025 is also very important as preparation for the T20 World Cup 2026. If the Afghan team finds the momentum here in this tournament, they will be ready for the T20I World Cup 2026. ICC tournaments are more important than any ACC tournament. So, it will be very important for them.
Rashid Khan to lead as captain
Rashid Khan is officially the captain of the Afghanistan team. He has secured his captaincy again in the preliminary squad for the Tri-Nation series. He has experience specifically in T20I cricket.
Rashid Khan has led the team well in the past. He would be a great choice to lead the Asia Cup 2025. He has had a mix of success and challenges in the past. He led the Afghanistan team to the semi-final in the T20I World Cup 2024. He can lead the team to the final this year in the big tournaments.
Key Afghan players to watch out for
Fazal Haq Farooqi is the new ball pace bowler. He has good experience in T20I cricket. He can take early wickets with the new ball. He can also bowl in death overs with pace and variation. He puts pressure on the batter with his swing bowling in the early overs. So, he will be the one to watch out for in the Asia Cup 2025.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz is the empowered opening hitter for Afghanistan. He is well-known for his hits in the T20I cricket. He just tries to hit sixes on any side. He can be a leading run scorer in the Asia Cup.
Azmatullah Omarzai is currently playing as a fast-bowling all-rounder. He can bowl in the middle overs with his pace and variations. He is a wicket-taker in the middle overs in T20Is. He can also bat as a middle-order batter.
Young Afghan talent
Noor Ahmad is a 20-year-old wrist spinner. He made his debut for Afghan cricket in 2022. He has not made any good records in T20Is yet. Therefore, his records in the IPL are very impressive. He can also show a very good performance in the Asia Cup.
Wafiullah Tarakhil is a right-handed power hitter with a strike rate of 145. He is a middle-order batter and plays with variation. He can send any ball out of the ground for a six. If ACB picks him up in the final squad, he can showcase his skills.
Sediqullah Atll is the growing talent of Afghanistan. He has good stats in domestic cricket. He can also be a leading run scorer for the Afghan team in the Asia Cup 2025.
Afghanistan team game plan and gaps
The Afghanistan team has always struggled against big teams. They have never won a match against England or India. Their strength in the game is spin bowling. Here are some positives for the Afghan team.
They won their first-ever match against Pakistan in the ODI World Cup 2023. They defeated Australia in the T20 World Cup 2024. They qualified for the semi-final in the T20 World Cup 2024.
They have good batting and bowling options. Their weakness is that their batting does not have depth, which results in their loss. If their players try to play with depth in the batting order, they can win any tournament.
Afghanistan’s predicted playing XI
| Player Name | Player Role |
|---|---|
| Naeem ul Haq | Wicketkeeper batter |
| Sediqullah Atal | Batter |
| Wafiullah Tarkhil | All-rounder |
| Ibrahim Zadran | Opening Batter |
| Rashid Khan | C (Captain) All-rounder |
| Mohammad Nabi | All-rounder |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | Bowling All-rounder |
| Gulbadin Naib | Batting All-rounder |
| Mujeeb Zadran | Spin Bowler |
| Fazal Haq Farooqi | Fast Bowler |
| Naeen ul Haq | Fast Bowler |
Why this playing XI?
Experience: This playing XI has a lot of experience. All-rounders like Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, and Gulbadin Naib can lead the game with their experience and high skills. Fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq is also a good addition in spite of experience.
Young talent: The Afghanistan team also has a mix of young players who can make a great impact on other teams. All the players have high skills. These young players, Sadiqullah Atal and Wafiullah Kharoti, are the young players to lead in front.
Aggression: This playing XI also has aggressive players like Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, and Fazal Haq Farooqi. This mix of players is a very good strategy for this team to achieve victory.
Final Thoughts
The Afghanistan cricket board has announced a mix of young and experienced players in the squad. If they make up a good strategy, they can obviously win the tournament. The UAE is also known as the land of spinners. They can work well there with the spin. However, they also have good bowlers. So, this team can also be number one in the Asia Cup 2025.
