Afghanistan’s initial team for the upcoming single Test match against New Zealand, scheduled for next month in Greater Noida, does not include all-rounder Rashid Khan, which is quite unexpected. Rashid has been Afghanistan’s top wicket-taker in Test matches, with 34 wickets in five games, averaging 22.35, including four instances of taking five wickets in an innings. He last played a Test for Afghanistan in 2021 against Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi, where he claimed 11 wickets.
Additionally, Rashid is also a capable batsman and has scored a half-century in Test matches.
Other surprising exclusions from the team, which is captained by Hashmatullah Shahidi, are Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Karim Janat. However, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Gulbadin Naib, and Azmatullah Omarzai have been selected in the preliminary squad.
“20 players have been chosen for the training camp, and a team of 15 will be picked to play the single Test match against New Zealand based on how well they perform and how fit they are,” stated a release from the ACB.
“I’m pleased to have some young players in the team who did well in local cricket and now have the chance to be in the Test team for this game,” said Mirwais Ashraf, the ACB chairman.
Afghanistan preliminary squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), 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.