

Rashid Khan Omitted from Afghanistan’s Preliminary Squad for New Zealand Test
In a surprising move, Afghanistan’s star spinner Rashid Khan has been left out of the country’s 20-member preliminary squad for the upcoming one-off Test against New Zealand ¹. The Test is scheduled to take place from September 9-13 in Greater Noida, India ².
Injury Concerns
Khan’s absence is attributed to a hamstring injury sustained during The Hundred competition in England earlier this month ¹. His exclusion comes as a significant blow to Afghanistan, given his impressive Test record, with 34 wickets in five Tests at an average of 22.35, including four fifers ³.
Preliminary Squad
The selected squad includes players who performed well in the recent ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where Afghanistan reached the semi-finals ². The squad will undergo a week-long training camp in India, after which it will be trimmed to 15 players ahead of the Test match ².
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
Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi to Lead
Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead the team in their first-ever Test against New Zealand ⁴. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) expressed delight in seeing youngsters in the squad who performed well in domestic cricket ¹.
Final Squad Selection
The final 15-member squad will be announced after the week-long camp, based on players’ performance and fitness ³. The ACB aims to field a competitive team against New Zealand, a quality side in Test cricket ¹.