Star Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan was a big omission from the Afghanistan squad when it was announced on October 15 for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe. It is understood that Rashid was rested for the contest as a precautionary measure to manage his workload.
The 27-year-old will however return as skipper of the T20I side for the three-match short-format leg that will follow after the red-ball game.
In the leggie’s absence, the Afghanistan selectors have brought in left-arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf, and legspinner Khalil Gurbaz, all of whom impressed in the domestic red-ball season. Furthermore, left-arm spin all-rounder Shahidullah Kamal has been rewarded for consistent performances by earning a spot on both the Test and T20I teams.
Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead the Test side which also includes known faces in Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran.
The news from the toss is Zimbabwe have won the toss and opted to field first. Check out the playing XIs of both teams.
Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Bahir Shah, Afsar Zazai(w), Ismat Alam, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Khalil Gurbaz, Yamin Ahmadzai, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi.
Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Nick Welch, Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine(c), Sikandar Raza, Tafadzwa Tsiga(w), Brad Evans, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Tanaka Chivanga.
Rashid’s services will be a big miss for Afghanistan, especially since he has been in terrific form of late. He finished as the top wicket-taker in both the T20Is and ODIs against Bangladesh recently. He finished with six scalps from three T20I games while taking 11 wickets in three ODIs which includes a fifer.
Prior to that, in the Hundred 2025, Rashid ended as the third-leading wicket-taker despite not playing all the game, with 12 wickets at an average of 13.66 in six innings, including a best of 3/11. From there, he took his form to the tri-series against Pakistan and the UAE, finishing with the second-most wickets; nine scalps at 12.77 runs apiece in four outings.
ALSO READ:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Afsar Zazai (wk), Ikram Alikhel (wk), Bahir Shah, Shahidullah, Ismat Alam, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Ziaur Rahman Akbar, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Khalil Gurbaz, and Bashir Ahmad.
Reserves: Ibrahim Abdulrahimzai, Sediqullah Atal, and Shams Ur Rahman.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
