Kabul, Nov 5 (IANS) Afghanistan A will begin their title defence at the ACC Rising Stars Asia Cup, formerly known as the Emerging Teams Asia Cup, under the leadership of Darwish Rasooli, when the tournament gets underway in Doha from November 14 to 23.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced a strong 15-member squad, which includes 10 players from last year’s victorious team, among them vice-captain Sediqullah Atal, mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar, and legspinner Qais Ahmad.

Afghanistan A are placed in Pool B alongside Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh A, and Hong Kong, and will kick off their campaign against Sri Lanka A on November 15, followed by matches against Bangladesh A on November 17 and Hong Kong on November 19.

ACB CEO Naseeb Khan expressed confidence in the squad’s ability to repeat last year’s success, saying, “AfghanAbdalyan have emerged victorious in the previous edition of the event and will be defending their title during this year’s event in Doha. We cherish the memories from last year, and with the aim of retaining the title, we have named our squad. I am confident the team will perform well and bring pride to the nation once again.”

Rasooli’s squad features a mix of experience and youth, including several players with senior national team exposure.

Atal, who scored a vital half-century in last year’s final against Sri Lanka A, remains a key figure at the top of the order. He has since become a regular member of Afghanistan’s senior setup with 22 T20Is, 12 ODIs, and one Test to his name.

The pace attack will be spearheaded by Abdollah Ahmadzai, who made his T20I debut in September and featured in all three matches against Zimbabwe.

He will be supported by Bilal Sami and Faridoon Dawoodzai, while Ghazanfar and Qais Ahmad will lead the spin department. Ghazanfar, 19, who impressed across formats since his international debut, will be keen to reclaim form after being left out of the T20I squad against Bangladesh in September.

Other notable inclusions are wicketkeepers Noor Rahman and Mohammad Ishaq, along with all-rounders Nangeyalia Kharote and Farmanullah Safi.

The Rising Stars Asia Cup will feature two groups of four teams each, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals on November 21. The final will be played on November 23, with Afghanistan A aiming to retain the title they won last year in thrilling fashion.

Afghanistan A squad: Darwish Rasooli (captain), Sediqullah Atal (vice-captain), Noor Rahman (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Zubaid Akbari, Imran Mir, Rahmanullah Zadran, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Nangeyalia Kharote, Farmanullah Safi, Qais Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Abdollah Ahmadzai, and Faridoon Dawoodzai.

Reserves: Wafiullah Tarakhil, Sediqullah Pacha, Yama Arab.

Fixtures:

Nov 15: vs Sri Lanka A – Doha

Nov 17: vs Bangladesh A – Doha

Nov 19: vs Hong Kong – Doha

Nov 21: Semi-finals – Doha

Nov 23: Final – Doha