Mujeeb Ur Rahman returns to Afghanistan squad for Zimbabwe tour
What's the story
The Afghanistan cricket team has recalled Mujeeb Ur Rahman into its white-ball squads for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe.
This is a major return for Rahman, who has been out of action due to a right phalanx sprain.
He last played for Afghanistan in June and only recently returned to competitive cricket at the Abu Dhabi T10 on November 21, after a five-month break.
New additions
Zubaid Akbari and Darwish Rasooli join T20I squad
Notably, the national squad has also included top-order batter Zubaid Akbari for the first time, for the T20I series.
Akbari's inclusion comes on the back of his impressive performance in domestic cricket and contribution to Afghanistan's successful campaign in the Emerging Asia Cup.
Darwish Rasooli, who led that team, has also been recalled to the T20I setup following his strong domestic form.
Injury update
Ibrahim Zadran to miss Zimbabwe tour
However, Ibrahim Zadran will miss the tour as he continues to recover from an ankle surgery he had in England a few months ago.
ACB Interim Chief Selector, Ahmad Shah said he was delighted with Rahman's recovery and return to the team.
He also commended Akbari and Rasooli for their consistent performances in domestic cricket and the ACC Emerging Teams Cup.
Tour schedule
Zimbabwe tour to begin with T20I series
The Zimbabwe tour will start on December 11 with a three-match T20I series, followed by three ODIs.
After the white-ball leg in Harare, the teams will head to Bulawayo for two Test matches.
The limited-overs leg of the tour has witnessed a slight shift in dates "to help spectators attend key games during weekends," ACB said.
Squads
A look at the T20I squad
Afghanistan T20I squad: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Darwish Rasooli, Zubaid Akbari, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad and Naveen Ul Haq.
Information
A look at the ODI squad
Afghanistan ODI squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.