Afghanistan cricket’s star player, Rashid Khan, will step away from Test cricket in the near future to focus on recovering from a back injury, following surgery last year. A source from the Afghanistan Cricket Board revealed that this decision was mutually agreed upon by Rashid and the team management due to his ongoing back issues.
Earlier this week, Rashid was left out of the preliminary squad for the upcoming one-off Test against New Zealand, scheduled to take place in Greater Noida from September 9. After the ODI World Cup in India last October-November, Rashid underwent back surgery and was sidelined for four months. He recently returned to international cricket, leading Afghanistan to the semifinals in the T20 World Cup held in the USA and the Caribbean.
Rashid is now gradually increasing his workload, having recently participated in three matches over three days in the Shpageeza T20 league in Kabul, where he claimed six wickets. The plan for his recovery includes avoiding the longer format for the next six months to a year to prevent overstraining his back. Despite this, he is expected to be available for Afghanistan’s ODI series against South Africa next month, according to the source.
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Rashid has so far represented Afghanistan in five Tests, 103 ODIs, and 93 T20Is, with the team rarely getting the opportunity to play Test matches against top-tier teams like New Zealand. He also sustained a hamstring injury during The Hundred tournament in the UK earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the Afghanistan squad has already begun preparations for the Test against New Zealand at their adopted home venue in Greater Noida. Rashid is anticipated to participate in the three ODIs against South Africa in the UAE starting September 18, marking the first bilateral series between the two nations.
