Nabi still part of Afghanistan's plans, says Pybus

Afghanistan head coach Richard Pybus feels that Mohammad Nabi still has something to contribute for his country in the shorter format of the game.

Nabi was dropped from the upcoming T20Is against Zimbabwe and many felt that it can well be the end of the experienced campaigner, though Pybus begs to differ.

"I think Nabi's got something to contribute in the formats which he's available for," Pybus told Cricbuzz on Wednesday (October 7).

"He is an incredible cricketer and he keeps himself in absolutely fantastic shape. He's very disciplined and obviously his record for Afghanistan stands out. He's hugely respected not only for what he's done in the past, but also the way that he just conducts himself as a professional. He's meticulous," he said.

"In terms of his physical conditioning even though he's a mature cricketer, he really is in good shape and it was really positive to see. We get the data back when we're tracking the guys with the GPS and he held up really well," he said.

"You know like any cricketer you've got to consistently perform and he's as aware of that as anybody else but I really do think he still has plenty to contribute," he said.

"I think the main thing as you get older is hunger and desire. I look forward to his career moving forward and I'm looking forward to working with him," he added.

Playing against Bangladesh is a good opportunity for us to check in where we're at in Test format

Pybus said that playing against Bangladesh after their noteworthy performance in Australia will give them a chance to see where they stand in Test cricket.

Afghanistan will take on Bangladesh, who earned a historic Test series win over Australia in Darwin and ended the two-match series with 1-1 scoreline after Australia levelled it at Mackay, in a one-off Test series in Abu Dhabi from October 9.

"Now coming and playing against Bangladesh who are coming off a successful tour to Australia is a good opportunity for us to check in where we're at in Test format," said Pybus.

"I think one of the things when you're preparing for Test cricket is you know there are very specific things when we move to the red-ball format," he said.

"Number one is actually focusing on your own game. You know what's been good for us is the guys coming out of playing in the first-class red-ball competition back in Afghanistan. So we've had plenty of guys playing the long format and getting that very particular type of cricket fitness and spending that time out in the field and on the wicket," he said.

"It is more about our preparation. You know, when you're facing quick bowlers, whether they be right or left or whether they're pace or swing, you know this isn't club cricket. I mean, these guys are experienced cricketers.

"It's us really focusing on how we develop our own games, our own cricket awareness, and managing that, looking at things like innings construction as we continue to develop as a Test side. Innings construction not only as a team, but also as individuals,"

"One of the nice things about Test cricket is it's a simple game and it's a game of pressure. So I'm really looking forward to this block of cricket now with us having three Test matches in a short period of time, and I'm really looking forward to the next FTP and seeing what we manage to get together in terms of our list. You know, the more that we play the faster our evolution is going to be," he said.