Afghanistan name 16-man squad for Test against Sri Lanka

Afghanistan has named a 16-member squad under the captaincy of Hashmatullah Shahidi for the one-off Test match against Sri Lanka starting at the SSC grounds on Friday (2 February).

The Afghanistan Cricket Board said leg-spinner Rashid Khan continues to recover from back surgery and is set to miss the one-off Test match. Meanwhile, the leg-spinning bowling all-rounder Qais Ahmad has been included in the squad as his replacement. In addition, Noor Ali Zadran has been selected based on his recent promising performances in domestic competitions. Naveed Zadran, a right-arm quick, and Mohammad Ishaq, a wicket-keeper batter, have earned maiden call-ups to the senior Test team.

The newly appointed interim Chief Selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil said: “The team underwent a two-week preparation camp in Nangarhar followed by a 10-day conditioning camp in Abu Dhabi, which featured all the support staff to work with the players and ensure full preparation for the series. We have thoroughly monitored the camps and have picked the squad which includes several new faces who have excelled well during the recent domestic events.”

In addition to the Test, Afghanistan will also play Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series in Pallekele and three-match T20I series in Dambulla.

Afghanistan Test squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (Captain), Rahmat Shah (Vice Captain), Ikram Alikhail (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Noor Ali Zadran, Abdul Malik, Baheer Shah, Nasir Jamal, Qais Ahmad, Zahir Khan, Zia Ur Rehman Akbar, Yamin Ahmadzai, Nijat Masoud, Mohammad Saleem Safi and Naveed Zadran.