Following the completion of scans to check out a fracture, Rahmanullah Gurbaz is anticipated to be ready to play in Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup opener against England on Saturday in Perth.
In a warm-up game between Afghanistan and Pakistan on Wednesday at the Gabba that was abandoned due to rain, Gurbaz, 20, was injured by an inswinging yorker from Shaheen Shah Afridi that struck him in the left foot.
A protective boot was subsequently seen on his left foot as he was taken off the field after receiving medical care. In a statement, the Afghanistan Cricket Board stated that he had been cleared of a major injury after being taken to the hospital for scans.
The ACB reported that the team doctor stated that the findings are clear with no bone fracture. He will undergo a two-day evaluation and is anticipated to be available for the match against England on Saturday.
At the last T20 World Cup in 2021, Gurbaz struggled, scoring just 85 runs in his five innings. Since he has been regularly elevated to opening the batting, Afghanistan will benefit greatly from his availability before their opening match.
About Rahmanullah Gurbaz
With 117 runs in four matches in the 2018 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, Gurbaz led Afghanistan in run scoring in October 2019. He was selected in December 2018 to play for Afghanistan’s under-23 squad at the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup.
Gurbaz was selected in August 2019 for the Afghanistan Twenty20 International team for the 2019–20 Bangladesh Tri-Nation Series. On September 14, 2019, he played in his first T20I for Afghanistan against Zimbabwe.
Gurbaz was included in the Afghanistan One Day International (ODI) team in January 2021 for their series against Ireland. On January 21, 2021, he played in his maiden One-Day International (ODI) for Afghanistan against Ireland. He scored 127 runs, becoming the 16th player overall and the first Afghan to reach a century on his ODI debut.
He was also added to the Afghanistan team in September 2021 in preparation for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
