Afghanistan names three uncapped players in Test squad against New Zealand, Rashid Khan out due to injury

Three players without international experience – opener Riaz Hassan, all-rounder Shamsurrahman and pacer Khalil Ahmed – have been included in Afghanistan's final 16-man squad for the one-off Test against New Zealand, scheduled to begin on September 9 in Greater Noida.

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Star all-rounder Rashid Khan is not in the squad as he recovers from injury. Zahir Khan and Zia-ur-Rehman will lead Afghanistan's spin attack in Rashid's absence.

Gulbadin Naib, Fareed Ahmad and Yama Arab, who were part of the provisional squad announced last month, have been left out, while pacer Naveed Zadran is also missing due to a side strain.

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“The squad will be finalised based on the performance of the players in the pre-season camp. It is worth mentioning that 19 players attended a pre-season camp in Greater Noida for about 10 days and finally, after consultation with the captain and coaching staff, the 16-member squad was finalised today,” the Afghanistan Cricket Board said in a press release.