Rahmat Shah Takes Charge As Afghanistan's New ODI And Test Captain

The Afghanistan Cricket Board on Wednesday appointed middle-order batter Rahmat Shah as the national team's new Test and ODI captain, following Hashmatullah Shahidi’s resignation from the role.

Rahmat has served consistently as Afghanistan’s vice-captain in both the Test and ODI formats since 2021.

"The ACB is confident that his experience, leadership, and understanding of the team will help Afghanistan achieve further significant success," said the ACB in a statement.

Alongside Rahmat, Rahmanullah Gurbaz will serve as vice-captain in both formats.

The two will assume their new responsibilities during Afghanistan’s upcoming series against Ireland.

Hashmatullah Shahidi was appointed captain in May 2021 and began his tenure with a series victory over the Netherlands in January 2022.

During his successful tenure as captain, Afghanistan achieved several significant victories and milestones while making notable progress in the international rankings.

Shahidi led Afghanistan to 27 victories in 55 ODIs during his captaincy. He also guided the team to four memorable victories at the 2023 World Cup, where Afghanistan defeated England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands, resulting in Afghanistan finishing sixth in the tournament.

Afghanistan’s impressive campaign at the CWC23 also secured the team’s qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy where on Afghanistan’s historic debut in the tournament, Shahidi led the team to a notable victory over England as Afghanistan finished fifth overall.

Under Shahidi’s leadership, Afghanistan also achieved its highest-ever seventh position in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings, which marked another significant milestone in the history of Afghan cricket.

Shahidi further led Afghanistan to five consecutive ODI series victories between 2024 and 2025, against Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh. The series victory over South Africa was Afghanistan’s first-ever bilateral series win against the Proteas.

During his tenure, Shahidi also led Afghanistan to three consecutive ODI series victories over Bangladesh.