A provisional team of twenty players has been announced by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) for the forthcoming one-off Test match against New Zealand.
The historic match between Afghanistan and the Black Caps in the longest format of the game is set to take place in Greater Noida, India, from September 9–13.
Chief Selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhel has assembled a mix of young players and seasoned players to represent the nation’s expanding cricket skill pool. Mirwais Ashraf, the chairman of the ACB, affirmed his belief in the team.
In a statement, Ashraf remarked, “I’m glad to see some young players who did well in domestic cricket and have been given the chance to be part of the test squad for this test match.”
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Hashmatullah Shahidi, the captain, has a mixed lineup of bowlers, all-rounders, and hitters in the preliminary team. The squad includes up-and-coming players like Riaz Hassan and Abdul Malik in addition to well-known players like Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, and Gulbadin Naib.
But people have noticed that renowned spinner Rashid Khan isn’t there. The choice to exclude the star player was given by ACB spokesperson Sayed Naseem Sadaat.
“Rashid suffered an injury lately. Despite having participated in several Shpageeza T20 matches, he was given three to four weeks off and is not healthy enough to handle the workload in a lengthier format, Sadaat informed.
Also Read: Afghanistan’s first roster for the one-off Test match against New Zealand does not include Rashid Khan
On August 28, the team will fly out to Greater Noida, India, for a week-long training camp. The final 15-person team will be chosen at this time, with consideration given to evaluations of performance and fitness.
Afghanistan preliminary squad for New Zealand one-off Test:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), 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 and Yama Arab.
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