Afghanistan name squad for maiden Test against New Zealand
Afghanistan take on New Zealand in a one-off Test starting 9 September in Greater Noida.
Hashmatullah Shahidi will captain Afghanistan while other prominent names in the squad include Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, and Azmatullah Omarzai.
Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Karim Janat weren't in consideration as they weren't a part of the preliminary squad.
Rashid, Afghanistan's talismanic all-rounder, wasn't considered because he had been advised to refrain from long-format cricket for a year after his back operation.
All-rounder Gulbadin Naib, who was a part of the preliminary squad also didn't make it to the final squad.
POTD: Hashmatullah Shahidi's excellent guided six
Shahidi has played eight Tests for Afghanistan, of which three have been as a captain.
Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Afsar Zazai, Ikram Alikhil, Baheer Shah Mahboob, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Shams Ur Rahman, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Qais Ahmad, Khalil Ahmad, Nijat Masood
Recently, Afghanistan's opponent New Zealand announced that they'd appointed former Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Rangana Herath as their spin bowling coach for the next three Tests, whereas former India batting coach Vikram Rathour joined the camp for the one-off Afghanistan game.