Hamilton Masakadza added to Zimbabwe squad for Afghanistan series

Hamilton Masakadza, the Zimbabwe opening batsman, has been added to the national squad for the ongoing One-Day International (ODI) home series against Afghanistan.

According to an official release, the 33-year-old had not been considered for the tour at the onset after he failed to meet the required fitness level during a test conducted on all the country’s top players at the beginning of this month.

After Masakadza underwent the same test on Friday and passed, the national selectors decided to add him to the Zimbabwe side which plays Afghanistan at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday (February 19), in the second match of a five-match ODI series.

Elton Chigumbura, another senior member of the side, has not recovered from a right ankle ligament injury and will miss out owing to continued treatment. Sikandar Raza is also unavailable due to a shin injury he sustained while bowling in the nets on Saturday.

The pressure, on Sunday, will be on the hosts to turn the tables quickly after having lost the first ODI to Afghanistan by 12 runs (DLS method).