Dark horses Afghanistan look to go deep again after semi-final run last time

vs New Zealand, February 8, Chennai
vs South Africa, February 11, Ahmedabad
vs UAE, February 16 Delhi
vs Canada, February 19 Chennai

Despite their incremental improvement and rising stature over the past 15 years, Afghanistan only truly made a splash at a T20 World Cup in 2024. Before then, their wins had primarily comes against sides on the periphery of the game's elite, with an upset of the West Indies in 2016 the sole exception to that rule. At the last edition in the West Indies, however, Afghanistan announced themselves as borderline contenders for the trophy itself, demolishing New Zealand in the group stages, before beating Bangladesh and, sensationally, Australia to storm into the semi-finals - the first new semifinalist at a men's ICC World Cup since Kenya in 2003.

Afghanistan have continued to build on that work, with a crop of exciting new players coming through who demonstrate they can survive the changing of the guard as they eventually move on from Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib. Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz are established global stars by now, while Noor Ahmed and Ibrahim Zadran appear to spearhead the next generation. In fact, there are just two players over the age of 27 in Afghanistan's squad, making them among the third youngest side at the tournament behind Namibia and Nepal.

The slower subcontinent conditions in India should prove a boon to their glut of excellent spinners. Many of the squad have plenty of experience in India playing the Indian Premier League, and will be comfortable with the competition the highest quality of T20 cricket can throw at them. The opening game against New Zealand, who they vanquished so comprehensively in 2024, is a reminder of their ability to catch fire and go on a run. Their final two games are against the UAE and Canada, two sides they will be heavily favoured to beat. The scheduling, with Afghanistan-Canada the group's last game also offers them the knowledge of exactly what they might need to do if they are to make up lost net run rate, and book themselves another berth at the business end of an elite T20 World Cup.

Afghanistan have not enjoyed spectacular success coming into the T20 World Cup 2026, but they have been consistent. They made the final of a tri-series also featuring Pakistan and the UAE, beating Pakistan once along the way. A disappointing first-round exit from the Asia Cup was followed by a clean sweep of Zimbabwe away, and a 2-1 series win against West Indies in UAE.

It is, as ever, hard to look past Rashid Khan, arguably the greatest T20 wristspinner there has ever been, and one of the best players of his generation. The 27-year old has already played 515 T20s, and been a mainstay of the Afghanistan side since 2016, never so much as appearing to hit a run of poor form.

He has remained, since the last World Cup cycle, as dependable as ever, operating from the end of the Powerplay to any point in the rest of the innings where he can be used as a wrecking ball against the opposition. Against the West Indies in Afghanistan's recent series win, he was at his best, conceding 51 runs in 12 overs across three matches with five wickets to his name in what were otherwise high-scoring affairs. Add to that his destructive, if infrequent, prowess with the bat, and there is little doubt why his form remains instrumental to his nation's hopes.

This conversation may come up every two years, but this time around, it's surely 41-year old Mohammad Nabi's last dance at a major ICC tournament. He has straddled the entirety of Afghanistan's cricketing history, and first played a T20 World Cup in 2010.

Three weeks ago, Nabi and his son, 19-year old Hassan Eisakhil, became the first father-son duo to bat together in a top T20 league, putting on a 53-run partnership. His off-spin and persistently dangerous lower order power-hitting makes him an unceasingly useful player for the Afghanistan T20I side as well as the T20 circuit, and he goes to this World Cup on his cricketing merits rather than a tribute act borne from nostalgia.

However, his form with both bat and ball has tailed away in the last few months. Though that may be a temporary loss of form, at his age, he will know there is no guarantee it will return. 2026 perhaps represents the last opportunity to make his impact on a sport, and a cricketing nation, built around him and in his image.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan (capt), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad

Rest of the squad: Mohammad Ishaq, Shahidullah, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Ziaur Rahman