New Delhi
Spinner AM Ghazanfar has been included in Afghanistan’s squad for the upcoming Test series against Zimbabwe starting in Bulawayo on Thursday. The development comes after reports suggested that Rashid Khan would not be available for the Boxing Day game due to personal reasons. “AM Ghazanfar has been included in Afghanistan’s squad for the two-match Test series against Zimbabwe, with the first match starting tomorrow in Bulawayo,” the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said in a statement on Wednesday.
Ghazanfar has been included in the Test squad for the first time after he took impressive figures of 5/33 in the third ODI at Harare Sports Club, helping Afghanistan secure an eight-wicket win and a 2–0 series lead. Interestingly, Ghazanfar has not played any first-class match yet in his cricket career. 2024 has been a fantastic year for Ghazanfar, who started playing for Afghanistan at the Under-19 Men’s World Cup in South Africa, where he took eight wickets in four matches at an economy rate of 3.35, and then made his senior debut against Ireland in March. Made his ODI debut.
He then helped Afghanistan A win their first ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup title in 2024, winning the Player of the Match award in the final against Sri Lanka A in Oman.
The first match of the series against Afghanistan will be played at the Queens Sports Club, marking the first time that Zimbabwe will host its first Boxing Day Test at home in 28 years. Zimbabwe will then host its first New Year’s Test, which is scheduled for January 2-6, 2025.
Afghanistan’s updated Test squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alkhail, Afsar Zazai, Riaz Hasan, Sediqullah Atal, Abdul Malik, Baheer Shah Mehboob, Ismat Alam, Azmatullah Umarzai, Zaheer Khan, Zia ur Rehman Akbar, Zaheer Shahzad. , Yamin Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmed Afghan, Navid Zadran, Farid Ahmed Malik and AM Ghazanfar.
