Afghanistan cricket's star player, Rashid Khan, will be stepping away from Test cricket for the foreseeable future to recuperate from back surgery he underwent last year. According to a source from the Afghanistan Cricket Board who spoke to PTI, Rashid and the team management have mutually agreed on this break from the longest format due to his back issues. Earlier this week, he was excluded from the preliminary squad for the one-off Test against New Zealand in Greater Noida, starting September 9.
Rashid was sidelined for four months following back surgery after the ODI World Cup in India last October-November. He later participated in the T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean, where he led Afghanistan to the semifinals.
Recently, the 25-year-old played three matches in as many days at the Shpageeza T20 league in Kabul, claiming six wickets in total.
"The plan for Rashid after the surgery was to gradually increase his workload. Not playing the longer format for the next six months to one year was also part of the plan.
"In Tests, he would be required to bowl from one end continuously, and his back is not yet ready for that level of strain. He should be available for the ODI series against South Africa next month," the source explained.
Rashid has played five Tests, 103 ODIs, and 93 T20Is for Afghanistan, who rarely play five-day matches against top teams like New Zealand.
He also sustained a hamstring injury during The Hundred in the UK earlier this month.
The Afghanistan squad is already in Greater Noida, their adopted home venue, and has begun preparations for the Test against New Zealand.
Rashid is expected to return for the three ODIs against South Africa in the UAE from September 18, marking the first-ever bilateral series between the two nations.
(With Agency Inputs)
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