Rashid Khan's injury absence continues as SA20 withdrawal is confirmed

Kieron Pollard will captain MI Cape Town during the second edition of the competition which begins on January 10. The legspinner is also unlikely to feature in the T20I series against India starting next week

Nick Howson | 07/01/2024 at 14:44

Rashid Khan will miss the second edition of the SA20 as he continues to recover from back surgery.

The Afghanistan legspinner had the procedure after the Cricket World Cup in November in the UK, missing the Big Bash League as a result.

But his return to action has been put back. Though named in Afghanistan's T20I squad to face India in a three-match series starting on Thursday (November 11) he is considered doubtful to feature.

That series was set to delay his arrival at MI Cape Town but they will now be without his services for the duration of the SA20, which begins on Wednesday (January 10) following confirmation of his withdrawal.

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Rashid hasn't played since the conclusion of Afghanistan's Cricket World Cup campaign in November (SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)

"MI CT wish Rashid a quick recovery and look to have him back on the playing field soon," a statement read.

Kieron Pollard will now captain the Newlands franchise, owned by Reliance Industries, who finished bottom of the table in the inaugural tournament in 2023.

Pollard was due to cover for Rashid before joining up with MI Emirates at the overlapping ILT20. It remains to be seen what his availability will be, with Nicholas Pooran having been installed as the new skipper.

The ILT20 begins on January 19 and runs until February 17 - a week after the SA20 final on February 10.