Afghanistan batter Ibrahim Zadran ruled out of one-off Test match against New Zealand due to an ankle sprain

Afghanistan cricket team has suffered a massive blow ahead of their one-off Test match against New Zealand as top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran has been ruled out due to an injury. The Test match will commence on Monday (September 9) at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex Ground in Greater Noida.

Ibrahim Zadran has been a consistent performer for Afghanistan across formats and is one of their linchpins in the batting department. However, an unfortunate ankle sprain in the left leg has now forced him to miss the upcoming match, affecting the stability of the Asian team's batting unit.

Afghanistan Cricket Board took to their X handle to give their fans an update on the situation and revealed that Ibrahim will also miss the 3-match ODI series against South Africa along with the Test match. ACB's official statement read:

"Afghanistan’s prolific top-order batter @IZadran18 has been ruled out of the upcoming one-off #AFGvNZ Test and the 3-match #AFGvSA ODI series due to an ankle sprain in his left leg. Get well Soon, Ibra!"

Afghanistan squad for the Test vs New Zealand:

Rahmat Shah, Riaz Hassan, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Ikram Alikhil(w), Bahir Shah, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Qais Ahmad, Zahir Khan, Khalil Ahmed, Zia-ur-Rehman, Afsar Zazai, Nijat Masood, Shamsur Rahman, Abdul Malik

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"If we get a lot more chances with the good teams, we will improve"- Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi ahead of Test match vs New Zealand

Speaking to reporters ahead of the one-off Test against New Zealand, Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi stressed that his side need to play frequently against good teams to improve in the longest format. As quoted by ESPNCricinfo, Shahidi said:

"If we get a lot more chances with the good teams, we will improve, and our cricket board is doing that job. Like with New Zealand, if you see their history of Test cricket and where they are in the rankings right now, it's a good opportunity for us and hopefully our cricket board will try harder to give us opportunities against good teams in the future."

He continued:

"I think if we get more chances on regular basis, we will improve a lot because if we see as a team and as a country, we are brave people and we always accept challenges. If we get three- or four-match series in one time, I think it will be very good for us as a side. If you look at our past, we get one Test match and we start preparing for that ten days before. So it's not easy to come to red-ball cricket."

Do you think Afghanistan can beat New Zealand in the upcoming Test match? Let us know your views in the comments section.