Afghanistan have named their squad for the one-off Test against Bangladesh in the UAE from October 9-13, and the most notable name on it is an absence: star spinner Rashid Khan has been rested with a lower-back injury that also forced him out of the first two ODIs of Afghanistan's recent series in Sri Lanka. Regular captain Hashmatullah Shahidi leads the side, with Rahmat Shah as vice-captain.
Afghanistan assistant coach Raees Ahmadzai said the team management did not want to risk Rashid's back given how much non-stop cricket he had played in recent months, choosing to prioritise his recovery over his availability for a one-off fixture. Rashid did return for the third ODI against Sri Lanka after sitting out the first two, suggesting the issue is being carefully managed rather than treated as a long-term absence — but the Bangladesh Test was judged not worth the risk.
Afghanistan's 15-player squad is: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah, Afsar Zazai, Ikram Alikhail, Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Baheer Shah, Nasir Jamal, Karim Janat, Zahir Khan, Izharulhaq Naweed, Hamza Hotak, Ibrahim Abdulrahimzai, Yamin Ahmadzai and Nijat Masoud. Three of those names are uncapped at Test level: pacers Ibrahim Abdulrahimzai and Nijat Masoud, and young legspinner Izharulhaq Naweed, all included as options for a Test attack now missing its most experienced spin option.
Rashid's absence leaves a significant void in a red-ball attack that has few bowlers with his control or wicket-taking reputation, putting more responsibility on the uncapped Izharulhaq Naweed and the rest of the spin-bowling options to find wickets on what are typically slower, flatter UAE surfaces. With Bangladesh naming a squad built around recalls for Tawhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali Anik and a spin pairing of their own in Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam, the Test now shapes up as a contest between two attacks leaning on spinners without their most seasoned options fully available or fully tested in these conditions.
The Test is the first fixture of a busy October-November window for Afghanistan, who go on to host an ODI tri-series with Bangladesh and Zimbabwe from October 17, before a three-match T20I series and a two-Test series against Zimbabwe run through to mid-November. Managing Rashid's workload now, rather than pushing him through every fixture in that calendar, points to Afghanistan taking a longer view of his fitness across the full home season rather than risking it for one Test.
Away from the bowling concerns, Afghanistan's top order carries plenty of experience even without Rashid: Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah give Shahidi's side a settled opening and middle-order pairing, while Karim Janat adds all-round depth lower down. That experience matters more than usual in a Test where the bowling attack is leaning on three uncapped players, since a competitive total from the batters would ease the pressure on a spin unit that no longer has its most proven option to fall back on.
UAE surfaces have traditionally offered slow, flat conditions that reward patient batting and control bowling over raw pace, a dynamic that should, in theory, suit a spin-heavy attack even without Rashid in it. Whether Izharulhaq Naweed or the other uncapped bowlers can replicate anything like his control over a full Test match remains the open question that will likely decide whether Afghanistan's bowling holds up against a Bangladesh batting order that has its own senior names, including Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim, back in the XI.
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Squad details and the context of Rashid Khan's injury in this article are verified against same-day and freshly re-checked reporting from multiple outlets, current as of October 5, 2026.
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