Rashid Khan not ready for Tests, says Rahmat Shah

Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah said the team’s medical staff have recommended that Rashid Khan not play Test cricket at present, because the spinner is still not ready. The ICC reported the comments, and Tribune India confirmed them.

The first Test against Zimbabwe is on 5 November in Sharjah. Rahmat said Rashid would be part of the Test squad once he is 100 per cent fit, after personal discussions with the player and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB).

Rashid’s Test record

Rashid has played just six Tests, against more than 245 appearances in white-ball formats. He has been unavailable for Tests recently because of back concerns and workload management.

Afghanistan v Zimbabwe so far

Afghanistan won all three T20Is against Zimbabwe in the UAE: by 37 runs on 27 October, by 19 runs on 29 October and by 7 wickets on 1 November. In the second of those, they made 221/7 and Zimbabwe finished on 202/5.

The second Test, also in Sharjah, starts on Friday, 13 November at 11:00 AM IST.

Afghanistan’s last Test

Afghanistan’s previous Test, against Bangladesh in the UAE, was a hard-fought draw. The match began on 9 October, with Afghanistan making 240 and 346/8 and Bangladesh 346 and 372/7.