Afghanistan spring surprise in 15-man World Cup squad

Seamer Hamid Hassan selected three years on from last one-day international appearance in group captained by Gulbadin Naib

Afghanistan have confirmed their 15-man squad for the World Cup, with Hamid Hassan the stand-out selection.

The 31-year-old seamer has not played a one-day international for his country since June 2016.

Gulbadin Naib will captain the group after the removal of Asghar Afghan as skipper earlier this month.

A training camp held in South Africa was used to whittle down the initial 23-man pool of players - though further changes can be made before the deadline on May 23.

Following warm-up matches against Pakistan and England their campaign begins against Australia on June 1 in Bristol.

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"As chief selector, it is my duty to select a competitive team," Dawlat Khan Ahmadzai said. 

"However, there were some challenges that we needed to handle. We selected the best squad considering factors such as experience, fitness, team balance, current form and conditions.

"Luckily for us, the come-back of senior fast bowler Hamid Hassan is good news. However, we will take into account his form and fitness during upcoming practice matches.

"It is has been a six-month preparation process for the ICC Cricket World Cup. The mission is to play inspirational cricket in the tournament; I know there are strong teams but we will do our level best to achieve our goals."

Squad

Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Shahzad, Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Afghanistan Cricket Board Selection Committee announced Afghanistan’s squad for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

Find out more: https://t.co/3FecMDpRcB#AfghanAtalan #CWC2019 #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/xCSFmXGLJV

— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) April 22, 2019