Afghanistan have confirmed their squad for a one-off Test against Sri Lanka, starting from February 2 in Colombo.
Star spinner Rashid Khan is not part of the 16-man squad as he continues to recover from the back surgery he had in November.
Leg-spinner Qais Ahmad has been picked instead while Afghanistan also chose three uncapped batters Noor Ali Zadran, left-arm spinner Zia-ur-Rehman, and wicketkeeper Mohammad Ishaq.
Noor, the nephew of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, stands as the most seasoned among the newcomers, boasting 51 ODIs and 23 T20Is since his debut in 2009.
Meanwhile, Zia possesses an impressive first-class bowling record, tallying 159 wickets in 28 games with an average of 19.1. His batting average of 16.58 in first-class matches also suggests potential contributions in the lower order.
Regarding Qais, he featured in the third T20I against India earlier this month, marking Afghanistan's most recent engagement. However, he hasn't participated in a first-class match since his Test debut.
Afghanistan's most recent Test was in June 2023, where they suffered a substantial 546-run defeat to Bangladesh in Dhaka. For the upcoming Test against Sri Lanka, all-rounders Karim Janat and Amir Hamza have been excluded from the squad.
However, the batting lineup remains unchanged, featuring captain Hashamtuallah Shahidi along with Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, and Rahmat Shah.
Since their inaugural Test in 2018, Afghanistan have played only seven Tests and is yet to face Sri Lanka in the format. Besides the solitary Test, their tour of Sri Lanka includes three ODIs and T20Is each.
Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Noor Ali, Rahmat Shah, Bahir Shah, Nasir Jamal, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Qais Ahmad, Zia Akbar, Zahir Khan, Yamin Ahmadzai, Nijat Masood, Mohammad Saleem and Izharulhaq Naveed