BAN vs AFG: Hashmatullah Shahidi opens up on Afghanistan's morale after Rashid Khan’s return to ODI set-up

Afghanistan recently received a huge boost after star all-rounder Rashid Khan joined their ODI set-up for the upcoming white-ball series against Bangladesh. It is worth noting that both sides will face each other in three ODIs, which will be followed by two T20I matches. The first ODI is all set to begin on Wednesday, July 5 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Bangladesh.

Notably, Rashid Khan was rested for the one-off Test match between Bangladesh and Afghanistan in order to give him time to recover from his lower back injury. In Rashid’s absence, Afghanistan faced a humiliating loss against Bangladesh, where they lost the one-off Test match by 546 runs.

However, Rashid’s comeback to the squad for the limited-overs series would surely boost their chances. Reflecting on the same, ODI skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi came forward to talk about how big of a boost Rashid’s comeback into the side is. 

"Of course, he (Rashid) is a big man for us. When he is with us, as a captain, I feel very confident, It's a positive sign for us. He didn't play the Test for us but now he is available in the ODI series. And I know he will do good for us," Hashmatullah Shahidi was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. 

"The Test game gave us a lot of lessons. So we are well prepared now. We had a camp in Abu Dhabi for the last 14 days. So we are prepared for everything that was missing in the Test. Still, some of the ODI players were not part of the Test team. We don't know what is going to happen. We have prepared for everything," he added.

Furthermore, Shahidi also reflected on the fact that Bangladesh are a formidable side in the ODI format, and facing them at their home could prove to be an even bigger challenge for Afghanistan. However, the ODI skipper backed his side to put in a strong performance and come back from the loss in the only Test. 

"Bangladesh always plays good on their home ground. They also did well in last couple of years in ODIs. But still, we also have played good cricket in the last two years," Shahidi mentioned.