Pybus backs Rashid to prioritise long-term health over Tests

Afghanistan head coach Richard Pybus has said that they are not ready to put Rashid Khan's long-term future at risk by forcing him to feature in red-ball cricket.

Rashid recently insisted he is eyeing cutting down on his Test appearances to prolong his international career due to his back problem. As a result, his participation in the upcoming one-off Test against India, scheduled in June, is in doubt.

"The doctor told me, 'if you don't want to play cricket, you keep playing red-ball cricket' because it's not going to support you. You won't be there for longer to play for Afghanistan and I still went and I still played, and when he knew I bowled 55 overs against Zimbabwe in two innings, he was shocked. He was like 'no, you can't do that to yourself'. I will think about that," Rashid said recently during the ongoing Indian Premier League, where he is featuring for Gujarat Titans.

"I've already played one before. So I will just take it easy," he said. "Get myself ready for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Imagine something happens to my back in that Test match. I can't play 100 Test matches. If you're playing one Test in a year, I can't play for 100 years. And there is no target in Test cricket," he added.

When Pybus's attention was drawn to Rashid's future in red-ball cricket, he told Cricbuzz that they will have to take a decision depending on the pros and cons.

"Yeah, I think so (better to rest him against India if there is a risk of injury ahead of the busy white-ball calendar)," said Pybus. "I'm sure the discussion about one Test a year will be about, so which Test is he going to play? But you know I mean, there is Rashid's health, his long-term health outside of cricket, and you don't want somebody who gets into their 40s, 50s, 60s, etc., suffering because of injuries sustained during their playing career."

"Well, look, this is all about his physical condition. I'm yet to go through the players in the different formats with the selectors. But in terms of his history with his back and where he's come from, it is about player management," said Pybus. "So, there's never a desire to risk a player's health or the long-term health, for workloads which aren't sustainable. So if he is available for one Test, which Test is that going to be? So that'll be a good discussion with the selectors."

Pybus, who is currently in Afghanistan, earlier told Cricbuzz that he does not have any problem staying in this part of the world and developing Afghanistan cricket.

Pybus arrived in Kabul recently to oversee the national team's upcoming skill development and training camp. Marking his first visit to the Afghan capital, Pybus held meetings with officials from the Selection Committee, the International and Domestic Cricket departments, and the High-Performance Center.

Joining him in discussions were Hashmatullah Shahidi and Ibrahim Zadran, the national team captains, which primarily focused on upcoming FTP fixtures, strategies, and specifically, the commencement and management of the upcoming skill development and training camp.

As per ACB's plan, the training camp is a month long, featuring nearly 40 Afghan players, and will be conducted under the direct supervision of the High-Performance Center and in the presence of the new Head Coach. The camp will run from April 12 to May 16, with cricketers set to undergo rigorous, comprehensive preparation during this period ahead of the Tests and ODIs against India.