Why is Noor Ahmad Not in Afghanistan Playing XI Today for NZ vs AFG T20 World Cup 2026? The answer is simple: It must be because of the team combination that he is not in the XI.
Since the coin toss, one question that has been trending is, “Why is Noor Ahmad Not in Afghanistan Playing XI Today for NZ vs AFG T20 World Cup 2026?” It is because of the team combination that he is not playing. Afghanistan have gone with three spinners, and Rashid Khan said at the toss that the pitch might also help the pacers, so they have selected three fast bowlers as well.
It is a strange decision to drop him, especially since the match is being played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, which is Noor’s home ground in the IPL as he plays for CSK.
The four players missing from Afghanistan’s squad for this match are Noor Ahmad, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Ishaq, and Abdullah Ahmadzai .
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert(w), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan(c), Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi.
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Since the start of 2025, Noor Ahmad has taken 92 wickets in 72 T20 matches. He has impressed in almost every franchise league he has played. In IPL 2025, he picked up 24 wickets in 14 matches. In Major League Cricket (MLC), he took 15 wickets in 12 games. In the ILT20, he claimed 11 wickets in eight matches, while in SA20 he managed five wickets in six innings.
Recent form could also be a reason, “Why is Noor Ahmad Not in Afghanistan Playing XI Today for NZ vs AFG T20 World Cup 2026?”, as he has taken only three wickets in his last five T20 innings.
Afghanistan are placed in Group D alongside New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, and the UAE. Their next match will be against South Africa on February 11 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, and it will be interesting to see whether Noor plays in that game or not.
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