Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed on Friday it has postponed the Afghanistan Test in Hobart scheduled for November 27 until the situation regarding the women's game in the South Asian nation becomes clearer.
Unless a player picks up an injury in training, India's team is expected to wear the same look against a Pakistan squad that are without top stars Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, lending it a look of youth and experience.
"Captaincy is a huge responsibility. I have the experience of leading my country before, there is a great bunch of guys with whom I have a good understanding and feel pretty comfortable.
Afghanistan's participation in next month's T20 World Cup is becoming a matter of intrigue after Taliban's takeover of the strife-torn country.
This was only the eighth time in Test cricket history that a match was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
The 22-year-old leg-spinner said on social media that he was not consulted by the ACB, who earlier named an 18-member squad and two reserve players for the tournament in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
The Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) said the tournament will go ahead on schedule irrespective of India's participation.
Cricket Australia gave the day-night match against Afghanistan the green light on Thursday when it announced its summer schedule headlined by a marquee series against India.
Allowing India to play all their matches in Dubai robbed Pakistan of the honour of hosting the final and disrupted the schedule of the knockout matches.
Afghan women's cricket team formed in 2010 was quietly dissolved this year amid Taliban threats, insecurity and conservative beliefs.
Babri has in the past also worked with some players helping them understand how to handle pressure situations and get through bad performances and personal issues.
There was poor communication and complete mismanagement between the stadium authority and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). Rain had affected the buildup to the Test, the first between the two nations, with New Zealand not being able to complete a single practice session properly.
Afghanistan have been granted the Associate membership of the ICC, making it the eighth Asian nation and the 38th overall to get the status.
Rashid was out of action for four months after undergoing a back surgery following the ODI World Cup in India in October-November. He was part of the more recent T20 Word Cup in the USA and Caribbean where he captained Afghanistan to the semifinals.
The BCCI press conference scheduled at 1.30pm in Mumbai is 'expected to be delayed owing to weather disruptions'.
The salaries could be slashed by 50 per cent if Afghanistan's June tour of Zimbabwe is cancelled as the Cricket Board (ACB) is finding it difficult to manage costs.
The hugely popular Indian Premier League is leading a cricket 'revolution' in strife-torn Afghanistan where the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament and Bollywood sells like hot cakes.
Saleem, 20, has yet to represent the national team in any format while Rasooli has shown strong form in the Shpageeza Cricket League, Afghanistan's domestic T20 tournament, after recovering from a finger injury.
Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan has criticised his Australia counterpart Tim Paine for questioning the Asian team's right to participate in major events such as the Twenty20 World Cup.
'When the scores are low, we had an off-one in the field. But yeah, got to give credit where credit is due and Afghanistan were pretty good.'
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam ul-Haq has agreed to carry on working with the Afghanistan cricket team as coach for a two-year period after tasting success with the side in Zimbabwe.
Afghanistan cricketer Usman Ghani has decided to put a pause on his international career following his exclusion from Afghanistan's international squad.
Afghanistan, third in Group One with two points and trailing Australia on net run rate, have a shot at finishing in the top two and making the semis if they beat bottom side Bangladesh on Monday when Australia play leaders India, who have four points.
Klusener was South Africa's assistant batting coach in the recently held T20 series against India.
Hardik likely to return for Afghanistan T20Is next month and Dravid's contract to be discussed after South Africa tour, BCCI secretary Jay Shah told media on Saturday.
An explosion went off inside Kabul's main cricket stadium during a domestic league match on Friday, injuring four people, an official of Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said.
Afghanistan's cricket team will shifted its home base from Sharjah to the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association stadium in Noida where they will play their matches and practice after an MoU was signed on Thursday in this regard.
Ramiz Raja part of ICC working group formed to review cricket in Afghanistan
Fans can expect a wide open tournament in the absence of an overwhelming favourite in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy.
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is enjoying the experience of working with former India seamer Manoj Prabhakar.
Sethi, according to the source, has proposed a Pakistan versus Nepal match and Afghanistan versus Bangladesh, Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka v Bangladesh matches in Pakistan.
'To date, they've been fantastic in how they've continued to play all three formats of the game. Their commitment to Test cricket... I don't think it has ever been as strong as it is now'
Afghanistan will now join South Africa and India for the series starting later this month.
Pakistan selectors rule out T20 role for Babar, Rizwan and Afridi in near future
Meanwhile, the sports ministry has asked the PCB not to offer a long-term contract to its incumbent director of cricket Mohammad Hafeez yet, who came into the role after the 50-overs World Cup last year.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Monday rolled out the red carpet for war-ravaged Afghanistan by agreeing to host the country's maiden Test match but chose to cold-shoulder a cricket-starved Pakistan in its latest Future Tours Programme (FTP).
Former Afghanistan skipper Nawroz Mangal, under whose leadership his side secured an ODI status in the 2009 World Cup Qualifiers and then qualified for the 2010 World T20 event, has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect in order to take up a role of the national chief selector. While confirming the news of Mangal's appointment in the selection panel, Shafiqullah Stanikzai, the Afghanistan Cricket Board's chief executive officer, said it is an honour for Afghanistan cricket that a player like the 32-year-old, who has a big fan following and respect among others, is the chief selector.
Afghanistan will realise a long-cherished dream when they debut as a Test nation on Thursday but captain Asghar Stanikzai ruled out being nervous ahead of the match against their top-ranked hosts India.
Richard Thompson, have suggested that staging the Champions Trophy without powerhouse India is not an option and there are "contingencies available" if Rohit Sharma's team doesn't travel to host country Pakistan.
