A back injury has forced Afghanistan’s leading spinner Rashid Khan to consider ending his red-ball career as he looks to focus on white-ball cricket, the format he has mastered. The recent decision of the Titans spinner has surprised his fans.
Rashid Khan has made a shocking revelation after winning the match against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026. It is known that the Afghan spinner is suffering from an old lower back injury and had undergone surgery after the 2023 World Cup in India.
He returned to competitive cricket in 2024 and has been performing consistently for several franchise teams in global T20 leagues. He also plays for Afghanistan in all three formats and has captained them in ICC tournaments, which resulted in further stiffness in his back and forced his untimely withdrawal from one format.
Rashid Khan will say goodbye to test cricket
Afghanistan is not among the major Test playing nations, nor is it part of the World Test Championship. They became the first Test playing nation to play their first Test against India in 2018.
Despite this reduced Test schedule, Afghanistan’s experienced spinner Rashid Khan has struggled to feature in this format. He has reportedly claimed that he will probably not play any further red-ball games for his country. The star spinner had given a light hint after the spectacular win over Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026.
Since Afghanistan became a Test playing nation, they have played 12 Tests, while Rashid, their most valuable asset, has played just 6 of them. Rashid revealed that his doctor had long advised him to quit red-ball cricket if he wanted to continue playing the game for a long time.
“Red-ball cricket is a bit difficult because the first thing my doctor told me was – ‘Stay away from red-ball cricket’,” Rashid said.
Rashid will give priority to white ball cricket if he wants a long career
Rashid Khan revealed that he ignored doctor’s warnings and played Test cricket immediately after his surgery in the United Kingdom and this has increased his concerns.
“I still went ahead and played. After the surgery, I played a game against Zimbabwe and bowled 67 overs, which was madness. The doctor told me, ‘If you don’t want to play cricket, you can continue playing red-ball cricket.’ He said that this will not help me and I will not be able to play for long.
He further added, “I still went ahead and played, but when he found out I had bowled 67 overs in two innings, he was shocked. He said, ‘You can’t do that to yourself.’
Rashid Khan revealed that he wants to play white-ball cricket for as long as possible, including both the formats, ODI and T20 formats, which he prefers to play. India are scheduled to host Afghanistan for an ODI series in 2026 and Rashid is likely to be a part of the squad.
“So yes, I will think about it. But ODI cricket – I really enjoy that format. I am in a good position to play ODIs for Afghanistan for a long time. However, I want to be careful about how much I play and not overburden myself if I want a long career,” he said.
Rashid Khan will not be able to play the only test against India
India are also scheduled to play a one-off Test match against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh in June 2026; However, Rashid Khan’s claims mean that he will not be a part of that team. However, he also said that if it is just one Test in a year then he is willing to participate in it.
“Red-ball cricket is something that I find a bit difficult. If it’s one Test a year, I’ll take it, but I don’t think I can manage more than that. I’ll try, but if I bowl a 20-25 over spell, I’ll have to bowl all day if I’m in the team.
He said, “In my last two Test matches, I bowled 126 overs, which is too much. I will take it easy and prepare myself for the World Cup. Imagine if something happens to my back during a Test match – I cannot play 100 Tests. There is no specific target for me in Test cricket.”
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