Rahmat Shah, Ibrahim Zadran to lead Afghanistan in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe series
Synopsis
Afghanistan have split their captaincy for the upcoming multi-format tour — Rahmat Shah leads Tests and ODIs while Ibrahim Zadran takes the T20I reins against Zimbabwe. With Rashid Khan and Zadran rested from red-ball cricket, a debutant uncapped all-rounder earning his first call-up, and Mohammad Nabi dropped from T20Is, the ACB is quietly but deliberately reshaping its squads across formats.
Key Takeaways
Rahmat Shah will captain Afghanistan in Tests and ODIs ; Ibrahim Zadran leads the T20I side against Zimbabwe.
The campaign opens with a one-off Test against Bangladesh on 9 October 2026 , followed by an ODI tri-nation series and T20I and Test series against Zimbabwe.
Uncapped all-rounder Abdullah Tarakhil earns his maiden T20I call-up .
Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran have been rested from the Test squad on ACB's advice.
Veteran Mohammad Nabi has been dropped from the T20I squad; Darwish Rasooli omitted from T20I and ODI squads.
Shahidullah Kamal returns after scoring 538 runs at 76.85 domestically; pacer Yamin Ahmadzai recalled after taking 42 wickets at 12.73 .
Afghanistan have named their squads for a packed multi-format tour against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, with Rahmat Shah retaining the ODI and Test captaincy and Ibrahim Zadran taking charge of the T20I side, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed on 1 October 2026. The schedule begins with a one-off Test against Bangladesh on 9 October, followed by a triangular ODI series and back-to-back fixtures against Zimbabwe.
Format-by-Format Leadership Split
Rahmat Shah will captain Afghanistan in the Test matches — against both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe — as well as in the ODI tri-nation series. Ibrahim Zadran steps in as T20I skipper for the three-match series against Zimbabwe. Notably, both Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran have been rested from the Test squad on the advice of the ACB, which cited the need to manage their workloads at this stage of the season.
Key Inclusions and Recalls
Uncapped all-rounder Abdullah Tarakhil has earned his maiden T20I call-up, one of the headline selections across the three squads. Mohammad Akram, who made his international debut during the 2026 Asian Games, has also been included in the T20I setup. Middle-order batters Ijaz Ahmadzai and Shahidullah Kamal return to the T20I frame after a period on the fringes.
Ismat Alam comes back into the Test squad having missed Afghanistan's one-off Test against India in June, while pacer Yamin Ahmadzai has earned a red-ball recall on the back of a standout domestic first-class campaign — 42 wickets at an average of 12.73, topping the bowling charts nationally.
Notable Omissions
Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has been left out of the T20I squad, a significant absence for a player who has been central to Afghanistan's white-ball setup for years. Darwish Rasooli has been omitted from both the T20I and ODI squads. The decisions suggest the ACB is actively managing transitions, blending experience in the longer formats while refreshing the shortest format with youth.
Domestic Form Driving Selections
The selections lean heavily on recent domestic performance. Shahidullah Kamal tops the first-class run-scoring charts with 538 runs at an average of 76.85, rewarded with a place in both the Test and T20I squads. Yamin Ahmadzai's pace returns on merit after his prolific domestic season. This form-based approach signals a strategic emphasis on accountability within Afghanistan's domestic structure.
Full Squad Details
Tests (Bangladesh and Zimbabwe): Rahmat Shah (c), Ikram Alikhail, Afsar Zazai, Sediqullah Atal, Abdul Malik, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rahmanullah Zadran, Shahidullah Kamal, Ismat Alam, Qais Ahmad, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar, Khalil Gurbaz, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Yamin Ahmadzai.
ODI Tri-Nation Series: Rahmat Shah (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ikram Alikhil, Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyalai Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Yamin Ahmadzai.
T20I Series (Zimbabwe): Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Noor Rahman, Sediqullah Atal, Mohammad Akram, Shahidullah Kamal, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Abdullah Tarakhil, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Farid Ahmad Malik.
Afghanistan's packed calendar will test the squad's depth across all three formats, with results against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe likely to shape the ACB's selection thinking ahead of larger global assignments.
Point of View
Not the headline captaincy split. Afghanistan's Test ambitions depend disproportionately on those two names, and their absence from the Zimbabwe red-ball series will be a real examination of the squad's depth. The Nabi omission from T20Is, meanwhile, signals a generational transition that the ACB has been reluctant to commit to publicly; dropping a player of his stature without a formal farewell narrative is a choice worth watching. If the next cycle's global tournament squads look similar to these, the transition will be confirmed.
NationPress
2 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who will captain Afghanistan in the Bangladesh Test?
Rahmat Shah will captain Afghanistan in the one-off Test against Bangladesh, scheduled for 9 October 2026. He also leads the side in the ODI tri-nation series and the Test series against Zimbabwe.
Why have Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran been left out of the Test squad?
According to the Afghanistan Cricket Board, both Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran have been advised against playing the longer format at this stage. The decision appears to be a workload-management call rather than a form or disciplinary issue.
Who is Abdullah Tarakhil?
Abdullah Tarakhil is an uncapped all-rounder who has earned his maiden T20I call-up in the squad for Afghanistan's T20I series against Zimbabwe. No previous international caps are on record for him, making this a debut selection.
Why has Mohammad Nabi been dropped from the T20I squad?
Mohammad Nabi has been left out of Afghanistan's T20I squad for the Zimbabwe series, though no official reason was given by the ACB. Notably, Nabi remains in the ODI squad, suggesting the omission is format-specific rather than a complete international exit.
What is Afghanistan's full schedule against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe?
Afghanistan will play a one-off Test against Bangladesh starting 9 October 2026, followed by an ODI tri-nation series involving Zimbabwe, a three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, and a two-match Test series against Zimbabwe.
