Afghanistan to face Japan in Group match at Asian Games 2026 in Japan

On 2026-09-23 Afghanistan will take on Japan in a men's cricket Group match at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan, with both sides naming full squads ahead of the fixture.

Afghanistan enter the match after finishing runners-up in the previous edition of the Asian Games, where Noor Ali Zadran was the leading run-scorer with 91 runs and Qais Ahmad was the top wicket-taker with five wickets; neither player features in the current squad as Afghanistan have opted for a younger group.

Afghanistan’s squad for the match reads: Karim Janat, Darwish Rasooli (c), Faisal Shinozada, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq (w), Nangeyalia Kharoti, Farmanullah Safi, Imran Mir, Arab Gul Momand, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Khalid Taniwal, Hassan Eisakhil, Ismat Alam, Mohammad Akram. Young left-arm fast bowler Faridoon Dawoodzai has impressed in domestic cricket and is expected to play an important role with the ball for Afghanistan.

Japan named Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (c), Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake, Ibrahim Takahashi, Benjamin Ito-Davis, Alexander Shirai-Patmore (w), Reo Sakurano-Thomas, Wataru Miyauchi, Charlie Hara-Hinze, Declan Suzuki-McComb, Makoto Taniyama, Shoma Sugaya-Slater, Jake Kusuda-Nairn, Alester Kadowaki-Fleming, Tsuyoshi Takada, Kohei Kubota. Japan are currently ranked 41st in the ICC Men's T20I team rankings with a rating of 74 and will be hoping to make the most of home conditions against a stronger Afghanistan side.

Afghanistan are listed 10th in the ICC Men's T20I team rankings with a rating of 220 and arrive having lost a three-match T20I series against India 3-0; the side will be seeking a turnaround as the Asian Games campaign begins.

Darwish Rasooli, the Afghanistan captain and a top-order batter, is reported to be in excellent form and is expected to have a key role at the top of the order; Afghanistan will hope Rasooli can provide strong starts and set a platform for the middle order.

Afghanistan will be aiming to go one step further than their previous Asian Games performance after finishing runners-up, with the tournament providing opportunities for the younger players selected in this edition.

The match is a Group-stage fixture in the men's cricket competition at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan.