Rahmat Shah after injury (Source: @acb_190/X.com)
Rahmat Shah, Afghanistan's experienced batter, has been ruled out of the third ODI and one-off Test against Zimbabwe due to injury. The right-handed batter got retired hurt while batting in the second ODI and has now been ruled out of international cricket for several weeks.
The cricketer strained his left calf muscles during his short stay in the second ODI. He has now been diagnosed with a high-grade calf tear that will need an extended rehabilitation process, according to the official update by the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
Afghanistan set to miss Rahmat Shah's experience
ACB's medical team is currently consulting overseas specialists to make sure that he undergoes the best possible treatment and rehabilitation. Rahmat Shah has been a consistent batter for Afghanistan in ODIs and Test cricket for a long time, and his absence is likely to hurt their chances. He also scored a fifty in the first ODI of the three-match series against Bangladesh and was in stellar form in domestic cricket with four fifties and a century in six matches.
The right-handed batter averages 46.19 in Test cricket and thus Afghanistan would miss his services when they take on Zimbabwe in the one-off Test on October 20. The third ODI against Bangladesh will be played on October 14, and the Afghanistan Cricket Board has not yet announced the replacement of Rahmat Shah.
Afghanistan, though, are not playing ODI cricket in the next month or so. Therefore, Rahmat Shah is likely to get enough time to be fully fit for Afghanistan's next ODI assignment. Talking about the ODI series against Bangladesh, Afghanistan won the initial two games and have bagged the series in style. Their bowling group has dominated, and the Afghans have made a strong comeback after disappointment in the T20I series and Asia Cup.
