Afghanistan suffer injury setback ahead of ODI series against Bangladesh

KABUL: Afghanistan pacer Mohammad Saleem has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, scheduled to be played at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi from October 8 to 11.

According to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), the right-arm pacer sustained a groin (adductor) overload and thus will report to its High Performance Centre for rehabilitation in Kabul.

23-year-old Saleem has played two ODIs and a Test for Afghanistan in his budding international career, with his last appearance coming in the longest format against Sri Lanka in February this year.

The cricket board further shared that Saleem has been replaced by fellow pacer Bilal Sami, who has only one international appearance for Afghanistan – his ODI debut, which he made against Zimbabwe in December last year.

Sami, however, has a growing experience of List A cricket, having played 25 matches and taken 44 wickets at an average of 25.72. He also represented Afghanistan in the ICC U19 Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, where he made four scalps in five games.

The 21-year-old recently represented Speen Ghar Region at the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament and finished as his team’s second-highest wicket-taker with 10 wickets at an average of 22.90 and an economy rate of 4.97.

Afghanistan squad for ODI series against Bangladesh

Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmad and Bilal Sami.

Reserve: Faridoon Dawoodzai