Rashid Khan will not be playing in Afghanistan’s upcoming Test match against New Zealand on September 9.
Rashid Khan had surgery on his back last year and will be taking a break from Test cricket to focus on his recovery. According to a source from the Afghanistan Cricket Board, Rashid and the team management agreed that it was best for him to sit out due to his back issues.
Earlier this week, Rashid was not included in the initial squad for the one-off Test match in Greater Noida.
After the ODI World Cup in India last year, Rashid had surgery and was out of the game for four months. He recently returned to lead Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup held in the USA and Caribbean, where they reached the semifinals.
Rashid Khan to gradually increase workload
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Rashid Khan, 25, recently played three games in three days during the Shpageeza T20 league in Kabul, taking six wickets in total.
After his back surgery, the plan was to slowly increase his workload. Taking a break from Test cricket for six months to a year was also part of the recovery plan.
“In Test matches, he would have to bowl continuously from one end, and his back isn’t ready for that kind of stress. He should be ready for the ODI series against South Africa next month,” said a source.
Rashid has played five Tests, 103 ODIs, and 93 T20Is for Afghanistan. However, Afghanistan rarely gets to play five-day matches against top teams like New Zealand.
He also had a hamstring injury during The Hundred in the UK earlier this month.
The Afghanistan team is already in Greater Noida, their adopted home ground, and they have started preparing for the Test against New Zealand.
Rashid is expected to be fit to play in the three ODIs against South Africa in the UAE, starting on September 18, marking the first-ever series between the two countries.