Hashmatullah Shahidi, the captain of Afghanistan, said on Thursday that the team hopes Rashid Khan will be able to play in the last ODI against Sri Lanka.
Rashid’s back injury means that he won’t be able to play in the first two games of the series, which starts on June 2 at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium Hambantota. This is a big loss for the Afghans. The second and third games will be played at the same place on June 4 and June 7.
“He [Rashid] has a back problem, a little pain in his back, so we are hoping for him to get better and come back. Shahidi told reporters on Thursday that he thought the player would miss the first two games before rejoining the team.
“As you said, he is our main bowler and our star bowler. We will miss him, but it will give other young bowlers a chance to show what they can do,” he said.
“He is one of the most important players, and we should keep him for future games. He is also important for us in the Asia Cup and the World Cup,” he said.
Shahidi also said that he thinks it will be a good way for them to get ready for the World Cup, which will take place in India from October to November.
Shahidi said, “It will be good preparation for us because the conditions in Sri Lanka and India are the same and won’t change [at the World Cup], so this will be good preparation for us for our team combination.”
“We haven’t played here [in Sri Lanka], but some of the boys have played league cricket here, so I’ve talked to them about the condition of the pitch and ground to get an idea,” he said.
