Afghanistan has unveiled a preliminary squad of 20 players for their upcoming one-off Test against New Zealand, scheduled to take place in Greater Noida, India, from September 9-13. Notably, star spinner Rashid Khan is among the key absentees from the lineup.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) did not provide a reason for Rashid’s omission, though the spinner did sustain a hamstring injury earlier this month while playing in England’s domestic Hundred competition.
The squad, led by captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, includes several players who played a crucial role in Afghanistan’s journey to the semi-finals of the recent ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The team is set to depart for India on August 28 for a week-long training camp, after which the squad will be trimmed to 15 players ahead of the Test against New Zealand.
White-ball specialist Azmatullah Omarzai is among those in contention for a Test debut. Afghanistan Cricket Board chair Mirwais Ashraf expressed satisfaction with the inclusion of younger talent in the squad.
“I am pleased to see some youngsters who have performed well in domestic cricket get the opportunity to be part of the Test squad,” Ashraf said. “The ACB is excited to embark on its maiden bilateral series with New Zealand, a quality side in Test cricket, and we look forward to a competitive match between the Black Caps and Afghanistan.”
Afghanistan Preliminary Test 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, Yama Arab.
