Rashid Khan, Afghanistan's star cricketer, has been ruled out of the upcoming one-off Test against New Zealand due to a recurring back injury sustained while playing in the Shpageeza T20 league. After undergoing back surgery last year, Rashid had planned to gradually increase his workload, but mutual agreement with the team management has led to his decision to take a break from Test cricket for up to a year. The 25-year-old has been active recently, leading Afghanistan to the semifinals of the T20 World Cup, but his absence from the Test format will continue, as he has not played a Test match since March 2021. He is expected to be available for the ODI series against South Africa next month. This marks a significant setback for Rashid, who is Afghanistan's leading wicket-taker in Tests with 34 wickets across five matches. The Test against New Zealand is scheduled for September 9-13 in Greater Noida, India.