Teen sensation Rashid Khan will lead a heavyweight spin attack for Afghanistan in the country’s first-ever Test against India next month, the Afghan cricket board announced yesterday.
Rashid and fellow spinners Mujeeb ur Rahman, Zahir Khan and Hamza Hotak were named in a 16-strong squad for the historic one-off Test in Bengaluru starting June 14. The 19-year-old Khan was a star performer in the Indian Premier League with 21 wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad, who lost in Sunday’s final to Chennai Super Kings. Rahman, 17, also impressed in the cash-rich league with 14 scalps for Kings XI Punjab. Asghar Stanikzai will captain the Test debutants in the five-day game which will be preceded by three Twenty20 internationals against Bangladesh. The T20 games will be played in the northern Indian city of Dehradun on June 3, 5 and 7.
Afghanistan have had their training base in India since 2015, and were given Test status last year with Ireland, who lost their first five-day match to Pakistan earlier this month. Afghanistan will be underdogs in the Test against India, but they will start as favourites against Bangladesh in the T20 clashes.
Test squad: Asghar Stanikzai (capt), Mohammed Shahzad, Javed Ahmadi, Ihsanullah Jannat, Rahmat Shah, Nasir Jamal, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Mohamed Nabi, Rashid Khan, Zahir Khan, Hamza Hotak, Syed Ahmad Sherzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Wafadar Momand, Mujeeb ur Rahman
Squad for Bangladesh T20s: Asghar Stanikzai (capt), Mohamed Shahzad, Najeebullah Tarakai, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Darwish Rasooli, Mohamed Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Jannat, Rashid Khan, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Shapoor Zadran, Aftab Alam
Morgan expects quick return from finger injury
Eoin Morgan hopes to make a quick return from the fractured finger that has ruled the England one-day captain out of his appearance for the Rest of the World against the West Indies. Morgan will miss the Twenty20 fixture at Lord’s after chipping the end of his right ring finger.
It is believed the problem will sideline Morgan for seven to 10 days, meaning he should be fit to play in England’s one-day international against Scotland at Edinburgh on June 10. The Scotland clash is followed by five ODIs against Australia next month.
“It’s not a huge concern, it’s one that hopefully we can manage past about a week when the swelling goes down,” Morgan said. “It’s not fractured into the joint, which is a really good result. I’ll be fine for the one-dayers. I will hopefully be back for one more Middlesex game, potentially two. We will wait and see.”
Morgan’s county Middlesex confirmed he suffered the injury when he was fielding during the Royal London One-Day Cup match against Somerset on Sunday. The batsman was set to captain the World XI in a game which is being held to raise funds for stadiums in Dominica and Anguilla damaged by hurricanes last year.
Andy Flower, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s stand-in director, said on the ICC’s official website: “It is not a bad crack but it is bad enough to keep him out of tomorrow’s Middlesex game and the World XI game.” Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi will skipper the World XI in the absence of Morgan.
Bangladesh’s Mustafizur ruled out of Afghan T20s
Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman yesterday withdrew from next month’s Twenty20 series against Afghanistan in India because of an injured foot. Mustafizur complained of pain after joining the national training camp last week, at the end of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in which he played for Mumbai Indians.
“Subsequent tests have revealed a crack on his left big toe which will sideline him for a few weeks,” said a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) statement. “It takes around three to four weeks to recover from such injuries and therefore he can’t play against Afghanistan,” BCB senior physician Debashis Chowdhury said in the statement.
Mustafizur is expected to start rehabilitation in two weeks, the doctor added. Afghanistan will host Bangladesh for the first T20 series between the two countries in the Indian city of Dehradun from June 3 to 7. Afghanistan will be preparing for their first-ever Test, against India in Bangalore from June 14. Afghanistan are ranked eighth in Twenty20 internationals, two places ahead of Bangladesh who left for India on Tuesday.
Former Test opener Jaques appointed NSW coach
Former Australian Test opener Phil Jaques was appointed New South Wales cricket coach yesterday after Trent Johnston was sacked following a disappointing 2017-18 season. Jaques, 39, scored three centuries in 11 Tests before a debilitating back injury ended his international career.
He also played 76 Sheffield Shield matches for NSW and 200 first-class games in total including English county cricket stints with Northamptonshire, Worcestershire and Yorkshire. Nicknamed Pro for his meticulous preparation and attention to detail, he is excited about the prospects of a talented young squad.
“Patience is required as young players develop but this is an exciting time at Cricket NSW as we look to enhance the culture of improvement and learning and continue to be the leading provider of talent for Australian cricket,” he said. Jaques was previously an assistant NSW coach and last season worked with Queensland, helping them win the Sheffield Shield.
Rashid Khan
