Rashid Khan hasn't been named in Afghanistan's 16-man squad for their one-off Test against Sri Lanka starting February 2, as he continues to recover from the back surgery he had last November.
Rashid's absence paved the way for the selection of legspinner Qais Ahmad, whose only Test was back in September 2019. Afghanistan also selected four uncapped players in batter Noor Ali Zadran, left-arm spinner Zia-ur-Rehman, wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Ishaq and right arm medium-pacerNaveed Zadran for the Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
Noor, an uncle of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, is the most experienced of the new entrants, having played 51 ODIs and 23 T20Is since his debut in 2009. Zia, meanwhile, boasts an enviable first-class bowling record with 159 wickets in 28 games at an average of 19.1. He could also provide handy lower-order contributions; his first-class batting average is 16.58.
As for Qais, he had played the third T20I against India earlier this month, although he hasn't played a first-class match since his Test debut. Eighteen-year old Naveed, who also earned his maiden call-up to the Test side, has taken 35 wickets in just seven first-class matches, including three five-wicket hauls.
Rashid's last appearance had come in the 2023 ODI World Cup in October-November, after which he had a back surgery. Since then, he has missed the BBL and Afghanistan's tour to India, and has also opted out of the PSL, which begins on February 17.
Afghanistan last played a Test in June 2023, when they lost to Bangladesh by a whopping 546 runs in Dhaka. From that tour, they have left out allrounders Karim Janat and Amir Hamza for the Test against Sri Lanka. However, their batting line-up remains the same; apart from captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, it includes Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik and Rahmat Shah.
Afghanistan have played only seven Tests since their denut in 2018, and are yet to face Sri Lanka in the format. Apart from the one-off Test, their tour also includes three ODIs and T20Is.
Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Bahir Shah, Nasir Jamal, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Qais Ahmad, Zia-ur-Rehman, Zahir Khan, Yamin Ahmadzai, Nijat Masood, Mohammad Saleem and Naveed Zadran