New Delhi: Influential spinner Rashid Khan is ready to play Test cricket for Afghanistan after a three year absence due to injury and is being considered for their upcoming tour of Zimbabwe.
Afghanistan announced their plan after announcing their upcoming Zimbabwe tour schedule that comprises two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is.
The tour spreads across December and January beginning with the three-match T20I series on December 9, followed by matches on Dec 11 and 12 in Harare, where the ODI series will also be played with games on on Dec 15, 17 and 19.
The tour concludes with a two-match Test series in Bulawayo, with the first five-day match beginning on December 26 and the second on January 2.
Speaking about the tour, Afghanistan Cricket Board’s chief executive Naseeb Khan confirmed that the star leg spinner is set for a return to the Test fold.
“We are confident that Rashid will play for us in the Test series against Zimbabwe,” Naseeb told Cricbuz.
“He (Rashid) had a long recovery due to his back surgery and we wanted him to recover fully before taking the load of playing Test cricket. Now he looks fine and ready to feature for us in Test cricket.”
Rashid’s last Test appearance was in March 2021 against Zimbabwe after which he has focused more on limited-overs formats. He suffered a back injury following which he was sidelined from the red-ball cricket as doctor’s advice him to skip the New Zealand series.
The ACB subsequently confirmed that of his absence from Test cricket till November, though he was available to play in white-ball formats.
Naseeb said that Rashid is now fully recovered and hence he is expected to play Test cricket, which he has played only five times in his career, claiming 34 wickets at an average of 22.35, also scoring 106 runs, including one half century.