Rashid Khan returns to Test squad for Zimbabwe series

Rashid Khan, who last played red-ball cricket in March 2021, is part of Afghanistan’s squad for the two-match Test series in Zimbabwe, starting December 26. The legspinner had taken a break from the longest format of the game because of injury concerns.

There are seven uncapped players in the squad. Allrounder Ismat Alam, left-arm spinner Zahir Shehzad and left-arm seamer Bashir Ahmad are yet to play for Afghanistan, while Azmatullah Omarzai, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Riaz Hassan and Sediqullah Atal are yet to feature in Test cricket. 

They were also part of the squad for the New Zealand Test but that match got washed out without a bowl being bowled.

“Rashid Khan returns to the test squad, which is a promising sign for our red ball game going forward. The rest of the team underwent good preparations recently in Nangarhar province, which featured 19 players and all the support staff to work with the players and ensure full preparation for the series,” said Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil, ACB's interim chief selector.

“We have thoroughly monitored the proceedings and have picked the squad which includes several new faces, including Ismat Alam, Bashir Ahmad, and Zahir Shehzad, who have performed well during the recent Ahmad Shah Abdali FC Tournament.”

Nasir Jamal, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, and Ibrahim Abdulrahimzai are the three players who are part of the reserve pool for the series.

Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott is also not available for the Test series due to personal reasons.

Squad - Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmat Shah (vc), Ikram Alikhail (wk), Afsar Zazai (wk), Riaz Hassan, Sediqullah Atal, Abdul Malik, Baheer Shah Mahboob, Ismat Alam, Azmatullah Omarzai, Zahir Khan, Zia Ur Rehman Akbar, Zahir Shehzad, Rashid Khan, Yamin Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmad Afghan, Naveed Zadran, Fareed Ahmad Malik

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