Afghanistan include uncapped Abdul Rahman for Sri Lanka ODIs

Dubai: Afghanistan's preparations for this year's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup will go up a gear when they travel to Sri Lanka next month for a three-match ODI series against the island nation.

Experienced left-hander Hashmatullah Shahidi will once again lead Afghanistan during the tour, with selectors naming a strong 15-player squad and four reserves on Monday for the three-match series that commences in Hambantota on June 2.

Young all-rounder Abdul Rahman wins a recall on the back of some strong performances in Afghanistan's domestic One Day Cup competition, while Shahidullah Kamal, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar and Gulbadin Naib are named among the reserves.

Afghanistan Squad:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhail (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujib ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Abdul Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Farid Ahmad Malik.

Reserves: Gulbadin Naib, Shahidullah Kamal, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zia ur Rahman Akbar