Rahmat Shah will lead Afghanistan in Tests and ODIs, Gurbaz will become vice-captain

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Wednesday named veteran batsman Rahmat Shah as the new captain of the national Test and One-Day International (ODI) team following the resignation of Hashmatullah Shahidi.

The board also named wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz as vice-captain in both formats. Rahmat and Gurbaz will officially begin their new roles during Afghanistan’s upcoming ODI series against Ireland.

Shahidi’s resignation brings an end to a successful four-year stint during which Afghanistan achieved some of the biggest milestones in its cricketing history.

According to the ACB, Shahidi was named captain on 31 May 2021 and began his tenure with an ODI series win over the Netherlands in January 2022. Under his leadership, Afghanistan won 27 of the 55 ODIs they played.

The defining moment of Shahidi’s captaincy came at the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. Afghanistan produced one of the biggest surprises of the tournament, beating England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands to finish sixth in the table, their best ever World Cup campaign.

The World Cup performance also secured Afghanistan qualification for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. Afghanistan defeated England on their debut in the tournament to finish fifth overall, further underscoring the team’s rapid rise on the international stage.

Shahidi also led Afghanistan to an all-time high of seventh in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings during his tenure.

Rahmat Shah takes over after serving as Afghanistan’s vice-captain in both Tests and ODIs since 31 May 2021, when Shahidi was appointed captain. One of the country’s most experienced batsmen, Rahmat has been a key member of Afghanistan’s middle order across formats and now takes the lead ahead of a busy international calendar.

Along with Rahmat, Gurbaz was appointed vice-captain in both formats. The aggressive top-order batsman has established himself as one of Afghanistan’s leading white-ball players and will support the new captain as the team enters a new phase.

Afghanistan’s first task under the new management will be a five-match ODI series against Ireland to be played from August 5-15.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

22 Jul 2026 17:40 IST