Afghanistan T20 squad, Test squad for Zimbabwe announced, different captains named

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced the national team squads for the upcoming one-off Test and three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. Afghanistan, featuring several star players, will play multi-format matches against Zimbabwe from October 20 to November 2 at Harare Sports Club.

Afghanistan and Zimbabwe have faced each other in four Test matches so far, with both sides winning two each. The Afghanistan cricket team recently played a white-ball series against Bangladesh. They lost the three-match T20I series but bounced back to whitewash the three-match ODI series in Bangladesh.

Hashmatullah Shahidi to Lead Afghanistan in One-Off Test Against Zimbabwe

On Wednesday, October 15, the Afghanistan Cricket Board announced the squad for the upcoming one-off Test against Zimbabwe. Hashmatullah Shahidi has been named captain for the match.

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Left-arm pacer Bashir Ahmad has retained his place, while Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, and Khalil Gurbaz have earned their maiden call-ups after impressive performances in domestic red-ball cricket. Left-arm spinner Shahidullah Kamal has been included in the team.

Afghanistan’s Test Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Afsar Zazai (WK), Ikram Alikhel (WK), Bahir Shah, Shahidullah Kamal, Ismat Alam, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Khalil Gurbaz, and Bashir Ahmad.

Reserves: Ibrahim Abdulrahimzai, Sediqullah Atal, and Shams Ur Rahman

Rashid Khan to Lead Afghanistan in T20I Series Against Zimbabwe

Rashid Khan has been rested from the upcoming Test as a precaution to manage his workload and ensure peak performance for future international fixtures. However, the veteran leg-spinner will lead the team in the T20I series later this month.

Shahidullah Kamal has also been included following his strong performances in the SCL season, while middle-order batter Ijaz Ahmadzai returns after making his T20I debut in 2024. AM Ghazanfar and Faridoon Dawoodzai have been named in the reserve pool for the series.

Afghanistan’s T20I Squad: Rashid Khan (C), Ibrahim Zadran (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Bashir Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad Malik, and Abdullah Ahmadzai.

Reserves: AM Ghazanfar and Faridoon Dawoodzai

We Have Been Successfully Implementing Our Plans - Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO

Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Naseeb Khan said that the board’s long-term development programs in domestic cricket and high-performance centers have helped the national team play consecutive bilateral series with positive outcomes.

“Alongside our domestic cricket and high-performance center programs, we have been successfully implementing our plans in international cricket. As a result, we are now consistently playing bilateral series one after another, and the outcomes of our long-term efforts have been very positive so far,” Naseeb Khan said.

“Following the Bangladesh series hosted by ACB, our national team will travel to Zimbabwe, where they will play a Test match and a T20I series against the host nation. Subsequently, we will also play series against other countries in sequence,” he added.

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