The upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is all set to begin in India in a few weeks time. The tournament will start on October 5, when defending champion England will face New Zealand in the opening game. That match will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Ten teams will be playing in the tournament, and the top four will qualify for the semi-finals.
There will be a total of 48 games, and all these games will take place in ten venues in India. The final will be played on November 19 in Ahmedabad. This will be the first time that the two-time champion West Indies are not part of the team. Sri Lanka and the Netherlands qualified after finishing in the top two in the World Cup Qualifiers. The last date to announce the squad is near, and some teams have already revealed their squad for the mega events.
ODI World Cup 2023 Afghanistan Squad
The Afghanistan Cricket Board is the latest to announce their 15-member squad for the ODI World Cup 2023. Pacer Naveen-ul-Haq is back in the squad. He hasn’t played an ODI since January 2021, but his performance in the IPL 2023 in India might be a reason that he is back in the team. Hashmatullah Shahidi will be leading the team.
The squad is looking pretty solid with both the bat and the ball. Mohammad Nabi, Rahmat Shah, and Rashid Khan are the players who can win with both the bat and the ball. The announced squad has four major changes compared to the team that played in the Asia Cup.
Karim Janat, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Gulabdin Naib, and Suliman Safi miss out on the squad. Azmatullah Omarzai, who was out of action due to an injury, is back. Apart from Nabi and Rashid, the spin department will also have Mujeeb ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad. Without a doubt, Afghanistan has gone with a spin-heavy attack, which might make a big difference on Indian pitches.
Afghanistan’s World Cup Squad:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Rashid Khan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Riaz Hassan, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Abdul Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq.
ODI World Cup 2023 Afghanistan Schedule
Afghanistan will play their opening match against Bangladesh on October 7 (Saturday) at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. They will face host India on October 11 in Delhi. Their game against Pakistan is on October 18 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, which will have a turning pitch. Afghanistan will face South Africa in their last group match on November 10 in Ahmedabad. They will play their group matches at seven different venues.
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
| Oct 07, Sat | 1st Match – Bangladesh vs Afghanistan | Dharamsala | 10:30 AM |
| Oct 11, Wed | 2nd Match – India vs Afghanistan | Delhi | 2:00 PM |
| Oct 15, Sun | 3rd Match – England vs Afghanistan | Delhi | 2:00 PM |
| Oct 18, Wed | 4th Match – New Zealand vs Afghanistan | Chennai | 2:00 PM |
| Oct 23, Mon | 5th Match – Pakistan vs Afghanistan | Chennai | 2:00 PM |
| Oct 30, Mon | 6th Match – Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka | Pune | 2:00 PM |
| Nov 03, Fri | 7th Match – Afghanistan vs Netherlands | Lucknow | 2:00 PM |
| Nov 07, Tue | 8th Match – Australia vs Afghanistan | Mumbai | 2:00 PM |
| Nov 10, Fri | 9th Match – South Africa vs Afghanistan | Ahmedabad | 2:00 PM |