AFG vs SA: Rashid Khan returns to Afghanistan squad for ODI series against South Africa

Rashid Khan, Afghanistan's premier leg-spinner, will return to the team for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa, scheduled to take place in Sharjah from September 18-22. Rashid was absent for Afghanistan’s one-off Test match against New Zealand, which was delayed by four days due to rain in Greater Noida. He also missed the previous ODI series against Ireland.

However, top-order batsman Ibrahim Zadran will be unavailable for this series due to an ankle sprain. Additionally, spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman remains sidelined as he continues to recover from a sprain in his right phalanx.

To fill these gaps, Afghanistan has included Darwish Rasooli, who has seven T20I caps and has recently delivered impressive performances in the SCL9 tournament and the List A Cup, as well as top-order batsman Abdul Malik, who has recently excelled in domestic List A competitions.

"Mujeeb Ur Rahman continues to recover from his injury and is unavailable for selection. Ibrahim Zadran will also miss the South Africa ODIs due to an ankle twist sustained on the edge of the New Zealand Test," said chief selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil in a statement to IANS. "However, we have included some of the top-performing youngsters in Abdul Malik and Darwish Rasooli. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar is also a talented cricketer who has recently demonstrated excellent skills and will cover for Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the series."