Afghanistanall-round star Rashid Khan was left out of the original 20-man squad for the upcoming one-off test. New Zealand. The Test will begin on September 9 at the Greater Noida Sports Complex IndiaIt is a historic moment for Afghanistan as this will be their first meeting with New Zealand in the red ball format.
Dropping Rashid Khan from the Afghanistan Test squad
Rashid, Afghanistan’s leading wicket-taker in international cricket, is conspicuously absent from the team. His exclusion raised eyebrows, given his huge contribution to Afghanistan’s rise in world cricket. However, Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) officials are confident that the selection of the squad is part of a wider strategy for the future. He will lead the Afghan side Hashemtullah Shahidifew young players are given a chance to shine in the Test squad. Among the named players Ibrahim Zadran, Rehmat Shahand veteran all-rounder Gulbad’s deputy.
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Afghanistan Cricket Board chief selector statement
Ahmed Shah SuleymankhelThe Chief Selector of the Afghanistan Cricket Board explained the basis of the composition of the initial squad.
“20 players have been selected for the training camp and a 15-man squad will be selected to play the only test match against New Zealand after assessing their performance and fitness.“, Sulimankhel said in the official statement of ACB.
He further said that he was happy to see some young players in the team who have done well in domestic cricket and now get a chance to be part of the Test team for this match.
“I am glad to see some youngsters in the squad who have done well in domestic cricket and get an opportunity to be part of the test squad for this match.Sulimankhel concluded.
Afghanistan preliminary squad for one-off Test against New Zealand
Afghanistan: Hashemtullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hasan, Abdul Malik, Rehmat Shah, Bahir Shah Mahbub, Ikram Alikhel (vk), Shahidullah Kamal, Gulbedin Naib, Afsar Zazai (vk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ziaurrahman Akbar, Shamsurrahman, Qais Ahmed, Zaheer Khan, Nijat Masood, Farid Ahmed Malik, Naveed Zadran, Khalil Ahmed and Yama Arab.
The final 15-man squad is expected to be announced after a week-long training camp in Greater Noida. The initial squad will arrive in India on August 28 to begin preparations. The Greater Noida Sports Complex, which previously served as Afghanistan’s accepted home venue for limited-overs cricket, will host the first Test match in this series. Apart from the one-off Test, the series will also feature three One-Day Internationals (ODIs), giving teams ample opportunity to showcase their skills across formats.
