Afghanistan has been hit with another injury setback ahead of the Champions Trophy. Spinner Allah Ghazanfar has been ruled out due to a back injury, making way for left-arm spinner Nangyal Kharoti to join the squad.
Ghazanfar’s absence is a significant blow for Afghanistan. Despite playing just 11 ODIs (21 wickets) and one Test (4 wickets), the young spinner has already made a name for himself. He was last seen in action during the International T20 League in the UAE.
The injury woes deepen for Afghanistan as star spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman is also unavailable due to a previous injury. Ghazanfar sustained his injury during Afghanistan’s Test series against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last December but continued to play in the T20 league despite the setback.
According to team sources, Ghazanfar will be sidelined for four months to undergo rehabilitation, ruling him out of the IPL as well. Mumbai Indians had picked him for the first time, but he will now miss the tournament.
Replacing Ghazanfar in the squad, Nangyal Kharoti has played seven ODIs for Afghanistan, with his last appearance coming in November against Bangladesh in Sharjah. In that series, he took three wickets for 28 runs in the second ODI but remained wicketless in the other two matches. Overall, he has taken 11 wickets in ODIs. Kharoti also made his T20I debut last March and has played six matches in the format.
Afghanistan will begin their Champions Trophy campaign on February 21 against South Africa in Karachi.
