The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced a 20-man preliminary squad for the upcoming Test against New Zealand on Monday (August 26).

The ACB has announced that Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead the team, and the final squad will be determined after a training camp in India.

In the current team, the notable exclusion is Rashid Khan. The Afghan leg-spinner has been left out from the squad has surprised many. Despite his impressive record of 34 wickets in just five Test matches, he was not included. His last Test appearance was against Zimbabwe in March 2021, where he took 11 wickets. Recently, he scored 53 runs for Speen Ghar Tigers in the Shpageeza Cricket League.

The ACB announced that the one-off Test against New Zealand will take place from September 9-13 at Greater Noida's Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex. Other notable absentees include Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Karim Janat. However, players like Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Gulbadin Naib, and Azmatullah Omarzai have been included.

The team will leave for India on August 28 for a week-long training camp. The final 15-member squad will be selected based on performance and fitness during this camp. Ahmad Shah Sulimankhel, Chief Selector, emphasized the importance of this camp for finalising the squad.

"20 players have been selected for the training camp, and a 15-member squad will be selected to play the only Test match after observing their performance and fitness," said Ahmad Shah Sulimankhel. This statement highlights the significance of the training camp in determining the final team composition.

ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf expressed enthusiasm about Afghanistan's first bilateral Test series with New Zealand. He described it as a "competitive event" against a "quality side." The final squad announcement is eagerly awaited as Afghanistan gears up to face New Zealand.

"I am happy to see some youngsters in the squad who performed well in domestic cricket and have gotten the opportunity to be part of the test squad for this test match," said ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf.

The anticipation builds as Afghanistan prepares for this significant Test match against New Zealand. Fans are keenly awaiting further updates on player performances during the training camp and subsequent final squad announcement.

Afghanistan Preliminary Squad vs New Zealand

Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Baheer Shah Mahboob, Ikram Alikhel (wk), Shahidullah Kamal, Gulbadin Naib, Afsar Zazai (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ziaurrahman Akbar, Shamsurrahman, Qais Ahmad, Zahir Khan, Nijat Masoud, Farid Ahmad Malik, Naveed Zadran, Khalil Ahmad and Yama Arab