Four spinners in Afghanistan squad for inaugural Test

Kabul [Afghanistan], May 29 (ANI): Teen sensation Rashid Khan and fellow spinners Mujeeb ur Rahman, Zahir Khan and Hamza Hotak have been named in the 16-member Afghanistan squad for the inaugural one-off Test match against India, beginning June 14 in Bengaluru.

Rashid had a successful stint in the recently-concluded 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he finished with a total of 21 wickets for runner-ups Sunrisers Hyderabad.

While Rahman is also coming off from his successful stint in the cash-rich league where he bagged 14 scalps for Kings XI Punjab, left-arm wrist spinner Zahir has been called in after recovering fully from a finger injury.

Left-arm off-spinner Hamza, on the other hand, seems to have got the nod in the wake of his impressive performance in the domestic First Class Tournament.

Eighteen-year-old pacer Wafadar Momand along with Syed Sherzad and Yamin Ahmadzai will form Afghanistan's fast bowling attack for the historic Test at the Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

In addition to Mohammad Shahzad, wicketkeeper-batsman Afsar Zazai has also been named in the Test squad against India, ESPNcricinfo reported.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan have decided to retain only five Test players for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, beginning June 3 in Dehradun.

Opening batsman Najib Tarakai, who played his last match against Ireland in March 2017, has been recalled to the T20I squad.

Darwish Rasooli, who performed consistently in the recently-concluded First Class Tournament, has also been successful of convincing the selection committee to seal a spot in the T20I squad.

The two squads are as follows:

Test Squad: Asghar Stanikzai (capt), Javed Ahmadi, Ihsanullah, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Nasir Jamal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Amir Hamza, Sayed Shirzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Wafadar, Zahir Khan

Squad for Bangladesh T20Is: Asghar Stanikzai (capt), Najeeb Tarakai, Usman Ghani, Mohammad Shahzad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shenwari, Shafiqullah, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Shapoor Zadran, Aftab Alam. (ANI)

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