Afghanistan’s star leg spinner Rashid Khan escaped the long-awaited Boxing Day Test with Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed that Rashid’s absence was due to personal reasons, particularly his commitment to a charity event.
Details of Rashid Khan’s absence
Rashid, who has not played a Test match since March 2021, was initially included in the 18-man squad for the two-match series against Zimbabwe. However, he withdrew from the opening Test a day before the scheduled start of the game. ACB official said that “As far as I know, he’s away for a charity event for the first test.” He made it clear that his focus is on this important commitment rather than participating in the match.
Rashid’s performance in Test cricket
Rashid Khan has been a key player for Afghanistan known for his extraordinary bowling skills and ability to change the course of the game. His record in Test cricket includes 34 wickets in just five matches and an impressive bowling rate of 22.35. Despite his talent, Rashid has been plagued by injury woes that ruled him out of several recent Test series, including the Tests against New Zealand and others earlier this year. The leg-spinner’s absence has been a major blow to the Afghanistan team, which they are looking to build on. on their recent success in limited edition formats. Afghanistan recently cruised to a 2-1 T20I series win over Zimbabwe and will aim to carry that momentum into the Test arena.
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The second Test will be played at the same venue from January 2, 2025 and Rashid is expected to rejoin the squad for that game.
ZIM vs AFG: 11th game for both teams
Afghanistan: Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Allah GhazanfarAfsar Zazai (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Shahidullah Kamal, Naveed Zadran, Zia-ur-Rehman, Zaheer Khan
Zimbabwe: Joylord Gumbi (week), Ben Curran, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (c), Dion Myers, Brandon Mavuta, Brian Bennett, Newman Nyamhuli, Blessing Muzarabani, Trevor Gwandu
