Rashid Khan ruled out of one-off Test against New Zealand due to back injury

Afghanistan National Cricket Team have faced a massive setback ahead of the one-off Test against the New Zealand National Cricket Team, as per ESPNCricinfo. Star spinner Rashid Khan has been ruled out of the game with a back injury, which he faced during the domestic tournament back home.

Rashid Khan hasn't been named in the preliminary 20-member squad of the Afghanistan National Cricket Team to face New Zealand. The two teams will be locking horns with each other in the one-off Test, which will be played in Greater Noida, India, from 9th September.

Rashid Khan suffered a back injury last month while playing for Speen Ghar Tigers (SGT) in the Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL), which is Afghanistan's domestic T20 tournament. The leg-spinner played three games on three consecutive days, which put a load on his back, and hence, he suffered an injury.

Rashid faced injury during the third game against Amo Sharks. He experienced back pain and, after that, was deemed unfit to play as he was ruled out of the team's next match two days later as well. He played a decent role for his team with the bat and ball in the three games that he played.

Rashid had six wickets at an average of 9.33 and an economy rate of 5.09. He also came up with a magnificent batting effort in the third game. The Afghanistan National Cricket Team white-ball skipper smashed 53 off just 26 balls and entertained the crowd big time back home with his power-hitting.

Rashid Khan doesn't have a great history of back injury as he has faced the same injury before as well. He suffered a back injury after the ICC World Cup 2023 and then underwent surgery for the same. The leg-spinner was out of action for four months and then made a return to cricket in a T20I series against Ireland this March.

Not only this, but Rashid Khan also suffered a hamstring injury a few weeks before during the Hundred T20 tournament. The leg-spinner experienced strain while representing Trent Rockets and then missed the last two games for the team in the season before suffering a back injury in the domestic tournament.

Rashid Khan's absence will be a massive blow for Afghanistan

Rashid Khan not being there for the Test match against the New Zealand National Cricket Team will be a massive blow for the Afghanistan National Cricket Team. He has been the best spinner for the team and with him not being there will leave a massive void in the team.

Meanwhile, the Afghanistan National Cricket Team have begun their preparation for the Test against New Zealand. This will be the first time that two teams will be playing each other in the longest format of the game. This will also be the first Test to be played at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground.

The Test against New Zealand will be Afghanistan's 10th overall and their third of 2024. They would be hoping to make an impact and win the game. After this, they will be travelling to Sharjah for the three-match ODI series against South Africa from September 18.