The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced their 16-member squad, under the leadership of Hashmatullah Shahidi, for the upcoming one-off Test against the touring New Zealand side, starting on September 09 at the Great Noida Sports Complex. This will be the first meeting for the two sides in the longest form of the game.
Their premier spin all-rounder, Rashid Khan, had already been out of the game due to a back injury, and in his absence, the selectors have decided to go with Zahir Khan and Zia-Ur-Rehman to lead the spin attack.
The left-arm wrist spinner of Afghanistan, Zahir, has featured in 22 red-ball games, where he has picked up 106 wickets at an average of 22.66 and a strike rate of around five overs. The hosts will also miss the services of their fast bowler, Naveed Zadran, who was quite successful with five wickets against Ireland before being ruled out of the Kiwi series with a side strain.
Gulbadin Naib misses the cut for a historic Test for Afghanistan
The selectors have decided to name three uncapped players for the game. Opening batter Riaz Hossain, who has a brilliant first-class record of 901 runs in 18 innings at an average of 56.31 and a strike rate of over 50, has celebrated three half-centuries and as many as centuries with a best of 196.
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They have also gone with their spin-bowling all-rounder Shams Ur Rahman, who along with scoring 499 runs in 14 games at an average of 26.26 and celebrating a couple of half-centuries, has also enjoyed picking up 30 scalps in 23 innings at an average of nearly six overs at a strike rate of 52.4 with a best of 4/80 in an innings.
The 19-year-old Khalil Ahmed has also been added to the squad. With his record of three wickets in two first-class games for Afghanistan, it is unlikely for him to get a chance in the playing eleven of the side.
The shocking absence among the 16 members of the Test series was Gulbadin Naib, who has been a veteran of the Afghanistan team in the white-ball format. His record of 313 runs in five FC games at an average of 52.16, celebrating three half-centuries in seven innings along with picking up 14 wickets at an average of under 24, has been pretty decent in the format.
Their captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, has done a good job with the bat in the red-ball format. The left-handed batter has smashed 485 runs in eight games at an average of 44.09, celebrating a couple of half-centuries and a fifty with a best score of an unbeaten 200-run knock. His first-class record of 43 average is again a petty decent record for a side that doesn’t play this format quite a lot.
The biggest miss for Afghanistan will be Rashid Khan, who has already caged 34 scalps in five games at an average of 22.35, registering one four-wicket haul and four five-wicket hauls with a best of 7/137 in an innings.
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“The squad is finalized based on players’ performance in the preparation camp.” The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) gave their statement. “It is worth mentioning that 19 players participated in the preparation camp for around ten days in Greater Noida, and eventually, after consultation with the captain and coaching staff, the 16-member squad was finalized.”
Afghanistan Squad For One-off Test vs New Zealand
Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Afsar Zazai (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Bahir Shah, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Shams Ur Rahman, Zia-Ur-Rehman, Zahir Khan, Qais Ahmad, Khalil Ahmad, Nijat Masood.