Rahmat, Zadran to lead Afghanistan in multi-format Bangladesh, Zimbabwe series

Kabul, Oct 1 (IANS) Afghanistan have announced their squads for a busy multi-format schedule against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, with Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran set to lead the side across different formats.

Afghanistan will begin their campaign with a one-off Test against Bangladesh on October 9, followed by an ODI tri-nation series involving Zimbabwe. They will then face Zimbabwe in a three-match T20I series and a two-match Test series.

Rahmat Shah will continue to captain Afghanistan in the ODI and Test formats, while Ibrahim Zadran will take charge of the T20I side against Zimbabwe.

Uncapped all-rounder Abdullah Tarakhil has earned his maiden T20I call-up, while Mohammad Akram, who made his international debut during the 2026 Asian Games, has also been included in the squad for the T20I series.

Middle-order batters Ijaz Ahmadzai and Shahidullah Kamal have returned to the T20I setup, while veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has been left out. Darwish Rasooli has also been omitted from both the T20I and ODI squads.

Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran have been rested from the Test format. According to the Afghanistan Cricket Board, both players have been advised against playing the longer format at this stage.

Ismat Alam has returned to the Test squad after missing Afghanistan’s one-off Test against India in June.

Pacer Yamin Ahmadzai has also earned a recall to the red-ball squad following an impressive domestic first-class season. Shahidullah has been rewarded for his consistent performances and will add depth to Afghanistan’s batting unit.

Shahidullah currently leads the domestic first-class run-scoring charts after accumulating 538 runs at an average of 76.85, while Yamin has claimed 42 wickets at an average of 12.73 to top the bowling charts.

Afghanistan’s packed schedule will see the team tested across all three formats over the coming months, with the Bangladesh Test followed by their engagements against Zimbabwe.

Afghanistan squads:

For tests against 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 and Yamin Ahmadzai.

For the 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 and Yamin Ahmadzai.

For the T20I series against 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 and Farid Ahmad Malik.

–IANS

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