Afghanistan rest ace spinner Rashid for Zimbabwe Test

KABUL - Afghanistan selectors Wednesday rested Rashid Khan for the one-off Test in Zimbabwe later this month but the ace spinner will lead the side in the three-match Twenty20 international series.

The 27-year-old had back surgery in 2023 and selectors want to keep him fit for next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

"Rashid will be rested for the Test as a precaution for the upcoming international events, mainly the World Cup," said the Afghanistan Cricket Board.

The Test match will be played October 20-24 while the three T20Is are on October 29, 31 and November 2, all in Harare.

The squad includes some fresh faces who have done well at domestic level.

Left-arm fast bowler Bashir Ahmad, who recently made appearances in ODIs and T20Is for Afghanistan, is in the Test squad.

Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead the Test team.

Since gaining Test status in 2017 Afghanistan have played just 11 Tests, winning four of them.

Afghanistan Test Squad:

Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Afsar Zazai, Ikram Alikhel, Bahir Shah, Shahidullah Kamal, Ismat Alam, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Khalil Gurbaz, Bashir Ahmad

T20I Squad:

Rashid Khan (capt), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Bashir Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Abdullah Ahmadzai