Afghanistan name squads for Bangladesh and Zimbabwe series

The fixtures cover a one-off Test against Bangladesh, an ODI Tri-Nation Series involving all three sides, a three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe and a two-match Test series against Zimbabwe.

Rahmat Shah will captain the Test and ODI squads. He was recently appointed Afghanistan’s Test and ODI captain and led the side to a 4-0 ODI series win over Ireland in August. The upcoming Test against Bangladesh will mark his first assignment as Afghanistan’s full-time Test captain. Ibrahim Zadran will lead the T20I side.

“Test cricket is of immense importance to us, and we remain committed to strengthening Afghanistan’s presence and performance in this format. The upcoming Test against Bangladesh will be the first time we host Bangladesh in a Test match, providing our players with a valuable opportunity to compete in an important international assignment,” the ACB chief executive officer Naseeb Khan said.

“Similarly, the two-match Test series against Zimbabwe presents another valuable opportunity for our players, particularly our emerging talents, to gain further experience in Test cricket. The ODI Tri-Nation Series is also of great importance to us as part of our preparations for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027.

“The Afghanistan Cricket Board remains committed to providing our national team with regular and high-quality international cricket. We highly value our relationships with the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Zimbabwe Cricket and appreciate their cooperation in making these important assignments possible,” Naseeb added.

What is the series schedule?

The one-off Test between Afghanistan and Bangladesh will be played from October 9-13, 2026, at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The ODI Tri-Nation Series involving Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe follows from October 17-23, with the first two matches in Abu Dhabi and the remaining two at Sharjah.

After the Tri-Nation Series, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe will play three T20Is on October 27, October 29 and November 1, all at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The two-match Test series between the same sides will then be held at Sharjah, with the first Test from November 5-9 and the second from November 13-17, 2026.

The full series schedule is as follows:

Who are the notable inclusions and omissions across the squads?

Fast-bowling all-rounder Ismat Alam returns to the Test squad after missing the recent Test against India. Left-handed middle-order batter Shahidullah Kamal and fast bowler Yamin Ahmadzai have also been recalled following their performances in the ongoing Ahmad Shah Abdali First Class Tournament 2026. Shahidullah has accumulated 538 runs at an average of 76.85 in the tournament and leads the batting charts, while Yamin has claimed 42 wickets at an average of 12.73 and tops the bowling charts.

Experienced slow-left-arm spinner Zia Ur Rahman Akbar also returns to the Test squad after missing international cricket for almost a year due to injury, and right-arm leg spinner Khalil Gurbaz has been recalled after featuring in Afghanistan’s Test squad for the Ireland Test in 2024.

Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran continue to be rested from Test cricket. As per medical assessments, both players have been advised against participating in the longer format at this stage. Ibrahim Zadran does, however, captain the T20I side.

In the white-ball formats, middle-order batter Darwish Rasooli has been left out of both the ODI and T20I squads. Mohammad Nabi has lost his place in the T20I squad. Mohammad Akram, who recently made his T20I debut at the 2026 Asian Games, has earned a call-up to the T20I squad for the Zimbabwe series. Young fast-bowling all-rounder Abdullah Tarakhil has been included in the T20I squad following his performances in the 11th edition of the Shpageeza Cricket League in July.

Right-hand middle-order batter Ijaz Ahmadzai and Shahidullah Kamal have also been recalled to the T20I squad, while Fareed Ahmad Malik has been promoted from the reserves to the main 15-member T20I squad after being part of the reserves for Afghanistan’s recent T20I series against India.

Afghanistan Squads

Afghanistan Test squad (one-off Test vs Bangladesh and two-match Test series vs Zimbabwe):

Rahmat Shah (Captain), Ikram Alikhail (Vice-Captain and WK), Afsar Zazai (WK), 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. Reserves: Baheer Shah Mahboob, Naseer Khan Maroofkhil, Bilal Sami and Bashir Ahmad.

Afghanistan ODI squad (Tri-Nation Series vs Bangladesh and Zimbabwe):

Rahmat Shah (Captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Vice-Captain and WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), 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. Travelling Reserve: Qais Ahmad.

Afghanistan T20I squad (three-match T20I series vs Zimbabwe):

Ibrahim Zadran (Captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Noor Rahman (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Mohammad Akram, Shahidullah Kamal, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Abdullah Tarakhil, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai and Farid Ahmad Malik. Reserves: Faridoon Dawoodzai, Qais Ahmad and Nangyalai Khan.