Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s T20I skipper has taken a rest from Test cricket after medical advice. Last time he played a Test match was against Zimbabwe in 2021. After the ODI World Cup in India last year, Khan underwent back surgery. The leg-spinner was out of action for four months, missing BBL, SA20 as well as Afghanistan’s matches against UAE, India, Sri Lanka, and Ireland.
Afghanistan’s media manager, Nasir Khan has confirmed that the 25-year-old is taking a break from the longest format. The former added that it is yet to be confirmed when he will be fully fit. This means that Rashid Khan won’t be part of the team for the one-off Test against New Zealand in Noida, next month. New Zealand is set to clash against Afghanistan in a one-off Test from September 9 to 13 in Greater Noida, India.
“He has taken a break from Tests for now, there’s an ongoing injury issue with him. So the doctors have advised him to not play Tests for now, ” Afghanistan’s media manager Nasir Khan told ESPNcricinfo. He added, ” We don’t know if he’s out for a year or not. What’s confirmed is that he’s out for some time, until he recovers properly. So he’s not going to play Test cricket until he gets the doctor’s approval. Right now, we can’t say for how long exactly he’s out.”
Rashid Khan’s recent struggle with injuries
Since his recovery, Rashid Khan played in the three-match T20I series against Ireland, IPL 2024, T20 World Cup 2024, The Hundred, Major League Cricket, and Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL). Khan’s participation in tournaments such as Hundred, MLC, SCL hasn’t been injury free. He was ruled out of the last week of The Hundred after sustaining a hamstring injury.
During the SCL, he picked up another back injury which is why he played only three games. Another reason for his workload management could be the busy calendar. As per the Future Tour Programme, Afghanistan are scheduled to tour Zimbabwe for an all-format tour in December-January for two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is.