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Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Monday announced the Test squad for the upcoming one-off match against Sri Lanka.
Star bowling all-rounder Rashid Khan is not part of the team as he is recovering from a back surgery. Qais Ahmad has been included in the squad to replace Rashid for the long-format match against Sri Lanka. Pacer Naveed Zadran and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Ishaq earned their maiden call-ups to the Senior Test Team on Monday. The Test match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will kick off on February 2. It will be played at Singhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Colombo. Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead the Afghan squad in Colombo and Rahmat Shah will be his deputy. ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf said they are committed to building a formidable Test side. "It's quite pleasing to be playing our first test against Sri Lanka, who have a rich history of playing test-match cricket. The year 2024 is packed with test cricket for us, as we will be playing several test matches during the year. Same as our white-ball lineups, we are committed to strengthening our red-ball cricket and building a formidable test side as well," Ashraf said, according to ACB website. Interim Chief Selector of ACB, Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil revealed that the team went through a two-week preparation camp and a 10-day conditioning camp before the squad was announced. "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," Sulimankhil said. Afghanistan Squad for the one-off test against Sri Lanka: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), 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. (ANI)
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