Afghanistan confident ahead of Bangladesh Test without Rashid Khan | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Hashmatullah Shahidi, the skipper of the Afghanistan cricket team, exudes confidence as his side prepares to make a highly anticipated return to Test cricket after a hiatus of over two years. Despite the decision to rest key leg spinner Rashid Khan, Shahidi remains optimistic about Afghanistan’s chances against Bangladesh in the upcoming one-off Test series, set to commence on Wednesday in Dhaka.
“Expectation is high, we are here to play good cricket and want to win the game,” Shahidi told reporters, emphasising his team’s ambitions ahead of the match.
Acknowledging the long gap in Test cricket, Shahidi mentioned the team’s participation in domestic first-class games, which provided crucial playing opportunities for the players. He expressed confidence in their readiness for the challenges of international Test cricket, stating, “We had a lot of gaps. We play domestic first-class games and lots of players are involved in that.”

Despite the absence of their star leg spinner, Rashid Khan, who will be rested after an arduous Indian Premier League campaign, Shahidi believes the team has viable alternatives. He highlighted the presence of wrist spinners, expressing faith in their abilities to step up and perform admirably. “It will be challenging,” Shahidi said. “We all know that Rashid is one of the main bowlers. He did very well in the past in Test matches. Still, we have another option like wrist spinners and they will perform well, inshallah (God willing).”
The captain drew inspiration from Afghanistan’s previous Test victory over Bangladesh in 2019, which provides a confidence boost for the team as they return to the same venue. “It inspires us because we played only one Test here and we won that. So that gives us a lot of confidence,” Shahidi remarked, reflecting on their past success.
On the Bangladesh side, stand-in captain Liton Das affirmed that they would not underestimate Afghanistan despite the absence of Rashid Khan. “We will take Afghanistan the same way we would have taken them if Rashid Khan was present,” Das emphasised.

Das also acknowledged Bangladesh’s recent Test experience, having played against Ireland, but recognized the team’s need to address their inconsistent form. “We also had a gap in Tests — we last played a Test match in April and had to switch to white-ball cricket. But I think we are at least ahead of them, as we have been playing Test cricket regularly for many days,” Das remarked.
As Afghanistan and Bangladesh gear up for their much-anticipated clash, Shahidi’s confidence, along with the determination of both teams, sets the stage for an intriguing battle. With Afghanistan eager to replicate their previous success and Bangladesh aiming to regain their winning momentum, cricket fans can anticipate a fiercely contested Test series.
Bangladesh squad: Liton Das (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mahmudul Hasan, Shahadat Hossain and Mushfik Hasan.
Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmat Shah, Afsar Zazai, Ikram Alikhil, Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Baheer Shah, Nasir Jamal, Karim Janat, Zahir Khan, Izharulhaq Naweed, Hamza Hotak, Ibrahim Abdulrahimzai, Yamin Ahmadzai, and Nijat Masood.
(With inputs from AFP)