Rashid Khan last played a competitive cricket match in November 2023.

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan is set to return to competitive cricket for the three-match T20I series against Ireland. The legspinning all-rounder has been out of action, having undergone back surgery, since the 50-over World Cup in November last year.

Ireland won the one-off Test match while Afghanistan are leading the ongoing three-match ODI series 1-0. The first game was won by Ireland while the second match was washed out. Following the last ODI of the series on March 12, Afghanistan will take on Ireland in three T20Is with the games scheduled on March 15, 17 and 18 in Sharjah.

"The plan is to represent the country in the upcoming series (T20 against Afghanistan) and the training has been underway and today was the second day and thankfully it went well and I hope that the following few days will also be well so that I can wear the national jersey again and continue to do well for my country," Rashid was quoted in a VDO interview posted by Afghanistan Cricket Board on Saturday (March 9).

Rashid admitted that the last three months were tough for him as he was undergoing a rehabilitation process, which went slower than expected following the surgery.

"The last three months were difficult because I had surgery. I had been suffering from a back injury for the last seven to eight months and the doctor had asked me to have surgery even before the World Cup but I decided to play the World Cup and have surgery afterwards because it was such an important event for us but Alhamdulillah I am back on the field and feeling well now and now my focus is on returning to the field and bringing joy and success to the nation.

"It was indeed very tough because undergoing surgery and then going through the recovery process is not easy because you need to focus on everything and you need to take care of your rehab and your training as it is a very slow process because you will gradually start walking first and then the gym workouts so those are very tough days.

"They are (tough) because it is more than just a surgery as it is returning to the field and being the same person you were when you left and it was a difficult period," he added.

"The focus is always playing good cricket and doing well and we have played enough against Ireland and we hope to do well and perform well because it's a great preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup and so the focus is on making the most out of it and preparing well for that event.

"The next two months are very crucial for us we don't have more games to play after these three games against Ireland and the focus will be to learn more from these games and the players can work hard during the last two to three months before the World Cup," he said adding that IPL will also help them prepare for the global event.

"The good thing is most of our players will be playing IPL and it will be good preparation for the World Cup and we will also keep in touch with those who are not there (in the IPL) to continue working hard in this period," he concluded.