Rashid Khan has been ruled out of Afghanistan's preliminary 20-member squad to square off against New Zealand in the one-off Test in Noida from September 9.
As per the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), Rashid suffered a back injury last month while playing for Speen Ghar Tigers (SGT) in the Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL) - Afghanistan's domestic T20 tournament.
Rashid, 25, played three games on three consecutive days in the Shpageeza Cricket League and claimed six wickets at an average of 9.33 and an economy rate of 5.09. He suffered the injury in the third match.
Notably, Rashid had undergone back surgery after the conclusion of the ODI World Cup 2023 in India. The rehab that followed put him on the sidelines for four months and he finally returned to action in a T20I match against Ireland in March.
New Zealand Test captain Tim Southee uncertain about participation in all subcontinent Tests
Meanwhile, New Zealand's Test skipper Tim Southee is uncertain if he will manage to play all the Test matches that New Zealand have in the subcontinent this year.
"Test tours to the subcontinent can ask some really tough questions of pace bowlers due to the nature of the pitches and the heat and humidity," head coach Gary Stead said.
"While we're going over with an open mind around conditions, there is an understanding that all our bowling options may be needed across the different Tests. Tim and I have discussed this, and the need during these overseas tours to balance the workloads of the pace-bowlers, including himself, to ensure the team is best served."
Afghanistan preliminary squad for one-off Test against Blackcaps
Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Baheer Shah Mahboob, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Shahidullah Kamal, Gulbadin Naib, Afsar Zazai (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ziaurrahman Akbar, Shamsurrahman, Qais Ahmad, Zahir Khan, Nijat Masoud, Farid Ahmad Malik, Naveed Zadran, Khalil Ahmad, Yama Arab.
