Allrounder Rashid Khan has been rested for the one-off Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur starting on June 14, with Afghanistan prioritising his "long-term fitness". Izharulhaq Naveed and Mohammad Ibrahim have earned their maiden Afghanistan call-ups, while Nijat Masood and Karim Janat have also been named in the 15-member squad that will be led by white-ball captain Hashmatullah Shahidi.
Rashid was part of Afghanistan's third ODI against Sri Lanka after missing the first two due to a lower-back injury.
"Although he made a comeback in the series decider today, the team management & medical team have decided to prioritize his long-term fitness," the Afghanistan Cricket Board said on Twitter. "Despite being fit, our selectors believe it is crucial not to rush his return. They have taken a cautious approach to ensure he receives adequate rest and rehabilitation allowing him to regain full fitness before the upcoming BCBtigers series, the ACC Asia Cup & the ICC CWC 2023."
Allrounder Azmatullah Omarzai, who missed the third ODI against Sri Lanka, misses out on Test selection due to a groin injury. According to ACB, he will undergo rehab and will remain under full medical observation until his return.
Afghanistan's Cricket Ace @rashidkhan_19 recently missed 2 ODIs against @OfficialSLC due to an injury. Although he made a comeback in the series decider today, the team management & medical team have decided to prioritize his long-term fitness. 1/3#AfghanAtalan | #BANvAFG2023 pic.twitter.com/haRfHxtfzK
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) June 7, 2023
Janat has been rewarded for his domestic form after finishing as the top scorer in the Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament with 561 runs along with 18 wickets at the average of 20.50.
Vice-captain Rahmat Shah is likely to feature alongside Abdul Malik and Ibrahim Zadran to add familiarity to the top order. Afsar Zazai and Ikram Alikhil are their wicketkeeping options, with the latter offering back-up.
Javed Ahmadi and Wafadar Momand are among the players who are missing out from their last Test in March 2021, while 34-year old Noor Ali Zadran has found a spot among the reserves.
Afghanistan have played six Tests since their debut against India in 2018. They won their only Test against Bangladesh in Chattogram in 2019, but they will be without Rashid, whose all-round heroics earned him the Player-of-the-Match award in that game.
The visitors are set to arrive in Bangladesh on June 10. They will be in Bangladesh in two phases: the first involving the Test, the second involving three ODIs and two T20Is in July.
Afghanistan Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmat Shah (vice-captain), Afsar Zazai (wk), Ikram Alikhil, Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Bahir Shah, Nasir Jamal, Karim Janat, Zahir Khan, Izharulhaq Naveed, Amir Hamza, Mohammad Ibrahim, Yamin Ahmadzai, Nijat Masood
Reserves: Noor Ali Zadran, Zia-ur-Rehman, Azmatullah Omarzai and Sayed Shirzad