KABUL: Star spinner Rashid Khan was not named in Afghanistan’s preliminary squad for their first-ever Test against New Zealand.
The first-ever Test between the two sides will be played at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida from September 9 to 13.
Meanwhile, Rashid Khan failed to make a cut to Afghanistan’s 20-member preliminary squad for the upcoming Test.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) did not reveal the reason behind Rashid’s absence from the squad. However, it is understood that the spinner suffered a hamstring injury in The Hundred 2024.
The 20-member squad, led by Hashmatullah Shahidi will leave on August 28 where they will undergo a week-long training camp after which the contingent will be trimmed to 15 players.
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The ACB CEO expressed happiness to see youngsters in Afghanistan’s preliminary squad and also on embarking on bilateral ties with New Zealand.
“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,” he said.
“ACB is delighted to be embarking on its maiden bilateral event with New Zealand which is a quality side in Test cricket and looks forward to a competitive event 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.
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