The teams were announced for the first-ever One-Day International match between Pakistan and Afghanistan to be played at Sharjah Stadium here Friday. The following are the teams: Pakistan (from): Misbahul Haq (captain), Younus Khan, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal, Junaid Khan, Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Hammad Azam, Azhar Ali. Afghanistan (from): Nawroz Mangal (captain), Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Asgher, Mohammad Shahzad, Shabbir Ahmed, Noor Ali Zadran, Karim Sadiq, Samiullah Shinwari, Mirwais Ashraf, Gulbadain Naib, Dawlat Zadran, Shahpoor Zadran, Javed Ahmadi, Amir Hamza, Izatullah Dawlatzai, Hamid Hassan. The Aghanistan team players are excited and promise to put up a best show in their first-ever ODI against Pakistan. The war-torn country has played 18 One-Day Internationals since gaining status in 2009 but all its matches were against associate and affiliate teams Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, Kenya and Scotland. And the prospect of playing Pakistan, World Cup champion of one-day cricket in 1992, left the Afghanistan players ecstatic. “It's a great opportunity for Afghanistan players and they can't wait for Friday,” team manager Shafiqullah Stanikzai said.
