Rashid Khan has been ruled-out of Afghanistan's upcoming Test match against New Zealand after suffering a recurrence of a back injury while playing a domestic cricket league in Afghanistan.
Rashid has already spent significant time out of both franchise and international cricket with back injuries over the last year. He underwent surgery on his back following the 2023 World Cup, but played throughout the 2024 T20 World Cup, as well as appearing in Major League Cricket and The Hundred. He was ruled out of the final part of his stint in The Hundred with a hamstring injury.
However, having not played a Test match in three years, Rashid was set to return to the format in Afghanistan's one-off Test against New Zealand in India next month. Ahead of the series, Rashid returned to Afghanistan to take part in the Shpageeza League, which is the country's domestic T20 tournament.
Rashid played three matches for the Speen Ghar Tigers, all taking place on consecutive days, when he reportedly agitated his back injury.
The injury means his absence from the Test arena will continue, with the injury reportedly prompting Rashid to "take a break" from Test cricket. An ACB official reportedly told the Indian Express that Rashid has "decided to take a break from Test cricket for one year".
According to the ICC's Future Tours Programme, Afghanistan are scheduled to play two Tests against Zimbabwe at the end of this year and a one-off Test against Ireland next July.
Rashid has taken 34 wickets across five Test matches in his career, and is Afghanistan's leading wicket-taker in the format. Seam-bowling all rounder Azmatullah Omarzai is likely to make his Test debut against New Zealand, with Hashmatullah Shahidi retaining his place as captain. The Test match will begin on September 9 in Greater Noida.
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