According to ESPNCricinfo, the Afghanistan National Cricket Team suffered a major setback ahead of the one-off Test against the New Zealand National Cricket Team. Star spinner Rashid Khan has been ruled out due to a back injury sustained in a domestic tournament at home.
Rashid Khan has not been included in the preliminary 20-man squad for the Afghanistan National Cricket Team. New Zealand. The two teams will play each other in a one-off Test from September 9 in Greater Noida, India.
Rashid Khan suffered a back injury last month while playing for Speen Ghar Tigers (SGT) in Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL), Afghanistan’s domestic T20 tournament. The leg-spinner played three games in a row over three days, which put a strain on his back, which resulted in an injury.
Rashid Amo was injured in the third game against the Sharks. He suffered back pain and was ruled out of the team’s next game two days later. He played a decent role for his team with bat and ball in the three games he played.
Rashid had six wickets at an average of 9.33 and an economy rate of 5.09. He had a great knock in the third game as well. The white-ball captain of the Afghanistan National Cricket Team smashed 53 off just 26 balls and entertained the crowd with his powerful knock as he returned home.
Rashid Khan does not have a great history of back injury as he has faced the same injury before. He suffered a back injury after the ICC World Cup 2023 and later underwent surgery for the same reason. The leg-spinner was sidelined for four months and then returned to cricket in the T20I series against Ireland this March.
Not only this, Rashid Khan also suffered a hamstring injury during the Hundred T20 tournament a few weeks back. The leg-spinner suffered a strain while representing the Trent Rockets and then missed the team’s final two games of the season before picking up a back injury in a domestic tournament.
Rashid Khan’s absence will be a big blow for Afghanistan
Rashid Khan’s absence from the Test match against New Zealand National Cricket Team will be a big blow for Afghanistan National Cricket Team. He has been the best spinner for the team and his absence will leave a huge void in the team.
Meanwhile, the Afghanistan National Cricket Team has started preparations for the Test against New Zealand. This will be the first time the two teams will play each other in the longest format of the game. This will also be the first Test to be played at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground.
The Test against New Zealand will be Afghanistan’s 10th and third in 2024. They will be hoping to make an impact and win the game. They will then travel to Sharjah for a three-match ODI series against South Africa from September 18.
 in the Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL), which is Afghanistan's domestic T20 tournament.){kind=link}