AFG vs NZ: Legendary Afghanistan leg-spinner and occasional all-rounder, Rashid Khan, has been ruled out with a sustained back injury from the New Zealand series, which is to be played in September in India.
The team management has informed us that he suffered an injury while playing in the Shpageeza Cricket League, SCL, for his franchise team, the Speen Ghar Tigers (SGT), which is a team in Afghanistan’s domestic T20 tournament.
In the tournament, Rashid played all three of his games in the SCL on successive days from the 18th of August, where he was again in sublime form with both bat and ball, as he took 6 wickets, averaging just 9.33. Rashid also played an explosive knock of 53 runs on just 26 balls in a low-scoring total from his side.
Rashid faced serious trouble with his back as he experienced severe aches, which ruled him out of contention after the match against the Amo Sharks.
Rashid has been mounting injuries in his career for a long time, as he faced a back injury and also underwent surgery after the World Cup last year in October-November in India. He was then ruled out of the sport for several months.
Now, while playing in the ‘The Hundred’ competition, he suffered a major setback, as Kieron Pollard hit 5 consecutive sixes off him in a single set of the competition. After that, he suffered a major injury with his hamstring while playing for the Trent Rockets, after he missed the last two games of the season.
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Now, Afghanistan has started preparing for the one-off test at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground, as the BCCi will hold the first-ever test for Afghanistan and New Zealand, the first for the two teams.
Afghanistan have another series in the ODI format as they travel back to Sharjah to play a three-match series against South Africa, and there are chances of Rashid Khan being ruled out of that as well. Though no official replacement has been announced by the Afghanistan management, as someone from the 20-member squad is likely to take his place in the XI.