Rahmat Shah Appointed Afghanistan Test and ODI Captain After Shahidi Steps Down

The Afghanistan Cricket Board has named experienced batter Rahmat Shah as the new captain of the men’s Test and ODI teams following Hashmatullah Shahidi’s resignation.

A long-serving vice-captain in both formats, Rahmat takes charge after Shahidi’s five-year stint, during which Afghanistan won 27 of 55 ODIs, including three successive series victories over Bangladesh. Shahidi also led the team to four memorable wins at the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India, although his Test captaincy yielded just one victory in seven matches.

Afghanistan’s first assignment under Rahmat Shah will be a five-match ODI series in Ireland next month as they aim to remain inside the ICC ODI top 10 for automatic qualification to the 2027 World Cup.