Afghanistan’s premier all-rounder Rashid Khan has been left out of the squad for the upcoming one-off Test against New Zealand, scheduled to take place from September 9 to 13 in Greater Noida, India. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) recently announced a preliminary 20-man squad, from which a final 15-member team will be selected based on performance and fitness assessments.
Rashid Khan’s omission has raised eyebrows, especially given his status as one of Afghanistan’s top performers. The leg-spinner last featured in a Test match in March 2021 against Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi. Since then, he has been conspicuously absent from the red-ball format, a decision largely influenced by injury concerns.
“The plan for Rashid after the surgery was to gradually increase his workload” – Sources
Rashid recently underwent surgery following an injury sustained during the men’s Hundred competition, where he played for Trent Rockets. Sources close to the ACB have revealed that the board has implemented a careful workload management plan for Rashid, focusing on his gradual recovery. The plan includes keeping him away from the longer format of the game for at least six months to a year.
“The plan for Rashid after the surgery was to gradually increase his workload. Not playing the longer format for the next six months to one year was also part of the plan. In Tests, he would be required to keep bowling from one end, and his back is not ready for that kind of workload,” a source revealed. However, Rashid is expected to return for the upcoming limited-overs series against South Africa.
While the ACB Chief Selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhel did not explicitly address Rashid’s absence, he emphasized the importance of selecting players based on current form and fitness. The final 15-man squad will be named after a training camp in India, which began on August 28.
Afghanistan Preliminary Squad for One-off Test Against New Zealand: 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.
