The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced that Rahmanullah Gurbaz will not participate in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, owing to an injury.
Gurbaz has a Grade 2B quadriceps injury coupled with a hip flexor problem.
Additionally, the ACB confirmed that spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman would be rested, as the team management has opted for a cautious approach regarding his return from injury.
"After careful evaluation of Mujeeb Ur Rahman's recovery process, the team management has decided not to rush him back. He will be given a rest from the #ZIMvAFG ODI series, which begins today in Harare," ACB posted on X.
Following a five-month absence due to a right phalanx sprain, Mujeeb made his competitive cricket comeback in the Abu Dhabi T10 on November 21. The off-spinner subsequently earned a spot in Afghanistan's white-ball squad for their Zimbabwe tour.
The ACB has selected Mohammad Ishaq as Gurbaz's replacement for the series beginning on Tuesday. Ishaq, aged 19, has featured in five T20Is with a total of 76 runs but has not yet played in an ODI match.
In the T20I series against Zimbabwe, Gurbaz had a disappointing performance, managing to score just 26 runs across three matches. However, Afghanistan rallied to win the series 2-1 after losing the opening match.
Afghanistan Squad: Mohammad Ishaq Shirzad (wk), Rahmat Shah, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, AM Ghazanfar, Nangeyalia Kharote, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Ikram Alikhil, Abdul Malik, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran
