Gulbadin Naib returns to Afghanistan fold to replace injured Hazratullah Zazai

The former ODI captain hasn't played a T20I since the 2021 World Cup but will be available for the remaining group matches and the knock-out stage

Nick Howson | 31/10/2022 at 12:44

Afghanistan have called up allrounder Gulbadin Naib to replace injured opening batter Hazratullah Zazai for the remainder of their men's T20 World Cup campaign.

Zazai has been struggling with a side muscle strain which had ruled him out of the New Zealand and Ireland clashes, prior to them both being rained off.

After complaining of kidney pain, scans have revealed small renal calculi (kidney stones) and a mild tear in the inter-coastal muscle, leading to his withdrawal

In Afghanistan's only tournament outing he registered seven runs in the defeat to England in Perth.

Head coach Jonathan Trott has gone with experience in the form of Gulbadin as Zazai's replacement.

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^{Zazai's only appearance saw him score just seven against England (Francois Nel/Getty Images)}

The 31-year-old has a wealth of international experience having played 72 one-day internationals - he served as captain between 2013 and 2015 - and 34 T20Is.

But nearly a year has passed since his last Afghanistan T20 appearance, against the Kiwis in last year's T20 World Cup.

His most recent outings have come in the Shpageeza Cricket League for Mis Ainak Knights. He finished with 150 runs at 37.50 and three wickets at an economy rate of 7.48 in eight matches.

It has been a hugely frustrating campaign for Mohammad Nabi's side, who have seen two of their three matches abandoned due to inclement weather in Australia.

They head in their final two matches against Sri Lanka (November 1) - when rain is predicted again - and Australia (November 4) knowing anything less than two wins will severely damage any remaining hope of qualifying for the semi-finals.