Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on August 26 announced their 20-member preliminary squad for the one-off Test against New Zealand which is scheduled to be played in Greater Noida, India starting September 19. Afghanistan’s T20I captain Rashid Khan is the notable absentee from the squad as he is yet to regain full fitness to play the longest format of the game.
"Rashid was injured recently. He was given three to four weeks rest and although he played number of Shpageeza T20 matches, for longer format he is not healthy enough( to take the load)," ACB spokesperson Sayed Naseem Sadaat told Cricbuzz.
Earlier this month, Rashid was ruled out of The Hundred. The 25-year-old led Speen Ghar Tigers in three games in the recently concluded Spageeza Cricket League.
"That's why we will be waiting for him and we hope he will return for the three-match ODI series against South Africa," he added.
Afghanistan will play South Africa in the three-ODI series starting September 18 in Sharjah.
Rashid has played five Tests so far and bagged 34 wickets at an average of 22.35 including four five-wicket hauls. His last Test appearance was against Zimbabwe in March 2021.
Youngsters set for preparatory camp
“I am happy to see some youngsters in the squad who performed well in domestic cricket and have gotten the opportunity to be part of the Test squad for this Test match,” said ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf.
The press release from ACB mentioned that players trained in conditions similar to India in a preparation camp in Nangarhar province.
The 20-member squad led by Hashmatullah Shahid will reach Greater Noida later this week for a one-week preparation camp in Greater Noida. This is the first time Afghanistan and New Zealand will lock horns in a Test match.
Afghanistan’s preliminary 20-member squad for one-off Test vs New Zealand
Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Baheer Shah Mahboob, Ikram Alikhel (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 and Yama Arab.
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