According to a close report, Rashid Khan will not be part of Afghanistan’s initial 20-player squad for the one-off Test against New Zealand in Noida starting on September 9.
According to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), Rashid Khan injured his back last month while playing for the Speen Ghar Tigers in the Shpageeza Cricket League, Afghanistan’s domestic T20 tournament.
The star leg spinner played three matches in a row over three days in the Shpageeza Cricket League, taking six wickets with an average of 9.33 and an economy rate of 5.09. He got injured during the third match.
Rashid had back surgery after the ODI World Cup 2023 in India. For his recovery, he kept himself out of cricket for four months, and he made his comeback in a T20I match against Ireland in March.
On the other side, there is also uncertainty regarding the participation of New Zealand’s captain Tim Southee.
“Test tours to the subcontinent can ask some really tough questions of pace bowlers due to the nature of the pitches and the heat and humidity,” head coach Gary Stead said.
“While we’re going over with an open mind around conditions, there is an understanding that all our bowling options may be needed across the different Tests. Tim and I have discussed this, and the need during these overseas tours to balance the workloads of the pace-bowlers, including himself, to ensure the team is best served.”
Afghanistan Squad:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Baheer Shah Mahboob, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Shahidullah Kamal, Gulbadin Naib, Afsar Zazai (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ziaurrahman Akbar, Shamsurrahman, Qais Ahmad, Zahir Khan, Nijat Masoud, Farid Ahmad Malik, Naveed Zadran, Khalil Ahmad, Yama Arab.
