Afghanistan name squads for Bangladesh and Zimbabwe series

Cricknation Update: Afghanistan announced squads for Bangladesh and Zimbabwe series (Photo by Joe Allison-ICC/ICC) The Afghanistan Cricket Board’s national selection committee has announced the Test, ODI and T20 squads for the series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe on October 1, 2026.

The fixtures include a one-off Test against Bangladesh, an ODI tri-series involving all three teams, a three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe and a two-match Test series against Zimbabwe. Rahmat Shah will ctain the Test and ODI squads. He was recently pointed Afghanistan’s Test and ODI ctain 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 ctain. 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, especially our emerging talent, to gain further experience in Test cricket. The ODI tri-series is also very important for 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 preciate 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.

Then a two-match Test series between the same sides will be held in Sharjah, with the first Test from November 5-9 and the second from November 13-17, 2026. The full series schedule is as follows: Match Date Venue AFG vs BAN: Only Test October 09-13 Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe October 17 Zayed Cricket Stadium Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe October 19 Zayed Cricket Stadium Afghanistan vs Bangladesh October 21 Sharjah Cricket Stadium Tri-Series Final October 23 Sharjah Cricket Stadium AFG vs ZIM: First T20I October 27 Sharjah Cricket Stadium AFG vs ZIM: Second T20I October 29 Sharjah Cricket Stadium AFG vs ZIM: Third T20I November 01 Sharjah Cricket Stadium AFG vs ZIM: First Test November 05-09 Sharjah Cricket Stadium AFG vs ZIM: Second Test November 13-17 Sharjah Cricket Stadium 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 Rehman Akbar has also returned to the Test squad after missing almost a year from international cricket due to injury, and right-arm leg spinner Khalil Gurbaz has been recalled to Afghanistan’s Test squad for the Ireland Test in 2024.

Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran have been continued 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, ctain the T20I side.

In the white-ball format, middle-order batsman Darwish Rasooli has been dropped from both the ODI and T20 teams. Mohammad Nabi has lost his place in the T20 team. Mohammed Akram, who recently made his T20I debut at the 2026 Asian Games, has been included in the T20I squad for the Zimbabwe series.

Young fast bowling all-rounder Abdullah Tarakhil has been included in the T20 squad after 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 (Ctain), Ikram Alikhail (Vice-Ctain 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 (Ctain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Vice-Ctain 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 (ctain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Noor Rahman (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Mohammad Akram, Shahidullah Kamal, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Abdullah Tarkhil, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqui, Abdullah Ahmadzai and Farid Ahmad Malik. Reserves: Faridoon Dawoodzai, Qais Ahmad and Nangyalai Khan.