BAN vs AFG, 2023: Rashid Khan rested for Test match against Bangladesh to prioritise long-term fitness

The test match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh is currently taking place at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Dhaka. However, Rashid Khan and a few other prominent cricketers who are known for participating in numerous T20 leagues worldwide, will not take part in Afghanistan's Test match against Bangladesh,

Rashid Khan is typically available for almost all international matches representing Afghanistan, but recently he has had to miss several important matches for his national team.

During Afghanistan's recent three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, Rashid was absent from the first two matches.

Rashid had travelled to Sri Lanka immediately after the conclusion of the IPL Final in the early hours of May 30, but he was rested for the first ODIs on June 2 and June 4 due to a lower back issue.

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It is quite unusual for Rashid to miss games for his country. In fact, these were the first ODIs he had missed since May 2019, prior to that year's World Cup in India. And now, he is set to miss the solitary Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur.

Out of the six Test matches that Afghanistan has played so far, Rashid has featured in five of them. The only Test he missed was the first match of the two-Test series against Zimbabwe in 2021.

Rashid and others have been rested from the Test match with an eye on his long-term fitness.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board tweeted a statement: “Although he made a comeback in the series decider today (June 7), the team management & medical team have decided to prioritise his long-term fitness.”

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The statement assured the readers of his fitness: “Despite being fit, our selectors believe it is crucial not to rush his return. They have taken a cautious approach to ensure he receives adequate rest and rehabilitation allowing him to regain full fitness before the upcoming Asia Cup & the ICC CWC 2023.”

In their previous Test match against Bangladesh in 2019 at Chattogram, Afghanistan emerged victorious by 224 runs. Rashid, who captained the team in that match, played a pivotal role by scoring 51 and 24 runs, as well as taking 5 wickets for 55 runs and 6 wickets for 49 runs, earning him the Player of the Match accolade.

Here are some of the tweets from Rashid Khan's fans: