The Afghanistan Cricket Board's National Selection Committee, led by chief selector Nawroz Mangal, has announced the names of 15 players to be included in Afghanistan’s one-day international (ODI) squad for the upcoming series against Ireland.

The ACB’s team lineup is as follows:

T20I Squad:

Mohammad Shahzad, Najib Zadran, Usman Ghani, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Najib Taraki, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Dawlat Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Farid Malik, Aftab Alam, Rashid Khan, Hamza Hotak, Shapoor Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari and Afsar Zazai.

ODI Squad:

Mohammad Shahzad, Najib Zadran, Hashmat Shahidi, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Noor Ali Zadran Mohammad Nabi, Nasir Jamal, Dawlat Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Rahmat Shah, Javed Ahmadi, Usman Ghani, Farid Malik, Rashid Khan, Hamza Hotak and Shapoor Zadran.

According to the ACB, the series against Ireland is key toward Afghanistan’s entry to the rankings list of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The two teams will play five One Day International Matches (ODI), one test match and three T20 matches.

“In order to prepare our cricketers, we have also undertaken practice matches in India for a week to get our boys acquainted with the climate and conditions in other countries,” said Abdul Wali Amin, a member of the selection committee.

The announcement of the teams comes a few days after Afghanistan played five ODIs in Harare. The Afghan squad won the series 3-2 against their strong rival Zimbabwe.

The performance of Afghan cricket has been hailed widely in the country and abroad.