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Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) declares a 15-member full squad for their upcoming ODI series against Ireland, starting on August 5 in Bready, Ireland. Afghanistan will face the host for 5 One Day International matches.
For the 5-match ODI series, ACB has named Rahmat Shah as their newly appointed captain with Rahmanullah Gurbaz as the vice-captain. Afghanistan’s star spinner and former captain Rashid Khan marks his return to the ODI team.
Afghanistan Cricket Board announces a 15-member squad for the ODI series against Ireland in Ireland
The Ireland vs Afghanistan ODI series will start on August 5 in Bready, followed by the second match on August 7 at the same venue. The remaining three matches will be arranged in Belfast. The third, fourth and fifth matches are scheduled to be played on August 10, August 12, and August 15, respectively.
Afghanistan's full squad: Rahmat Shah (Captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Vice-Captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (Wicketkeeper), Nangyal Kharotai, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Yamin Ahmadzai, Saleem Safi, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.
Reserve Players:
Qais Ahmad, Fareed Malik, Bilal Sami, Bashir Ahmad.
𝐀𝐂𝐁 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐃𝐈 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒! 🚨
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) July 24, 2026
The AfghanAtalan lineup has been finalized for the upcoming five-match ODI series against Ireland, which begins on August 5 in Bready.
The second ODI will also be played in Bready on August 7, before the… pic.twitter.com/FLhfvFiGAF
Afghanistan vs Ireland ODI Series 2026 Schedule
1st ODI: August 5, 2026 – Bready
2nd ODI: August 7, 2026 – Bready
3rd ODI: August 10, 2026 – Belfast
4th ODI: August 12, 2026 – Belfast
5th ODI: August 15, 2026 – Belfast
Why does ACB appoint a new captain ahead of the Ireland tour?
ACB was forced to appoint a new captain for the ODI and Test formats following Hashmatullah Shahidi’s resignation from the role a couple of days ago. Through an official release, the cricket board informed about the change in the leadership roles. Afghanistan cricket team’s tour of Ireland will be Rahmat Shah’s first assignment as the full-time captain of the national cricket team.
Under the leadership of Hashmatullah Shahidi, the Afghan national cricket team recorded 27 victories in 55 ODIs. During his captaincy, the team achieved its highest-ever seventh position in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings, which was a significant achievement for Afghanistan cricket since their emergence in international cricket.
Shahidi’s resignation came after their disappointing outings against India. With Shahidi as the captain, the team suffered a defeat in a one-off Test and a 3-0 clean sweep in an ODI series against India in an away series.
Ireland defeated India 2-0 only a few weeks ago
Needless to say, the series against Ireland will not be a cakewalk for the Rahmat Shah-led team. A few weeks ago, the Ireland National Cricket Team stunned the cricket world by defeating the 2026 T20 World Cup winner, India, 2-0, in a two-match T20I series.
It was the first time Ireland defeated India in an international series. Both of the matches against India were in Belfast. In Belfast, Afghanistan is scheduled to face the home team for three matches in the upcoming five-match series.
While Ireland will try to carry on their momentum, Afghanistan will target to bounce back in the ODIs.
