Rashid Khan, the legendary spinner, is still not fully healthy and will not play in the upcoming one-off Test match against Sri Lanka, which is scheduled to start on February 2. After suffering a back injury during the ODI World Cup, the 25-year-old had minor surgery, and as a result, he missed important competitions including the Big Bash League and a three-match T20I series against India.
Wrist spinner Qais Ahmad, who has only ever participated in one Test match, has been called up to fill up for him. Along with Noor Ali Zadran, who is scheduled to return to the senior squad, young spinner Zia-ur-Rehman also made the 16-man roster. He was a member of the Afghanistan team that participated in the Asian Games final match against India and got a half-century in the quarterfinal match against Sri Lanka. But since then, he hasn’t played any cricket.
The roster also includes right-arm medium-pace bowler Naveed Zadran and uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Ishaq. In just seven first-class matches, Naveed, in particular, has taken 35 wickets, including three five-wicket hauls. He has been outstanding in domestic cricket.
However, against Sri Lanka, Afghanistan’s all-around players Karim Janat and Amir Hamza, who were included in the Test team against Bangladesh in 2023, have been left out. Rahmat Shah, Abdul Malik, and Ibrahim Zadran, the batsmen, are still on the team, although they will need to put in a lot of effort following their crushing 546-run loss to the Bangladesh Tigers in the previous summer.
Afghanistan has only participated in seven Test matches since 2018, which indicates a lack of experience in the longest format for the group
. They will be up against a formidable opponent in Sri Lanka, who will be looking to come back after losing to Pakistan in a series in 2023.
Afghan squad: Qais Ahmad, Zia-ur-Rehman, Zahir Khan, Yamin Ahmadzai, Nijat Masood, Mohammad Saleem, Naveed Zadran, Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah (vc), Bahir Shah, Nasir Jamal, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), and Hashmatullah Shahidi (c).
India
