Mohammad Nabi has lost his place in Afghanistan’s T20I squad, while Darwish Rasooli has been left out of both the ODI and T20I squads as the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced squads for their upcoming assignments against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
Afghanistan will play a one-off Test against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi, followed by an ODI tri-series involving Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and a three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. They will then play a two-match Test series against Zimbabwe in Sharjah.
“Middle-order batter Darwish Rasooli has been left out of both the ODI and T20I squads, whereas Mohammad Nabi has lost his spot 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 series against Zimbabwe. Young fast-bowling all-rounder Abdullah Tarakhil has also been rewarded for his impressive performances in the 11th edition of the Shpageeza Cricket League in July and has earned his place in the T20I squad,” ACB said in a statement.
“Right-hand middle-order batter Ijaz Ahmadzai and left-hand middle-order batter Shahidullah Kamal have also been recalled to the T20I squad. Meanwhile, Fareed Ahmad Malik, who was part of the reserves for Afghanistan’s recent T20I series against India, has been promoted to the main 15-member T20I squad,” it added.
Rahmat Shah will lead Afghanistan in both the Test and ODI formats after being appointed the team’s full-time captain recently. He led Afghanistan to a 4-0 ODI series win over Ireland in August. The upcoming Test against Bangladesh, however, will be his first assignment as Afghanistan’s full-time Test captain.
Fast-bowling all-rounder Ismat Alam returns to the Test squad after missing the recently held Test against India, while left-handed middle-order batter Shahidullah Kamal and fast bowler Yamin Ahmadzai have earned recalls following their performances in the ongoing Ahmad Shah Abdali First Class Tournament 2026.
Shahidullah has scored 538 runs at an average of 76.85 in the tournament and currently leads the batting charts, while Yamin has claimed 42 wickets at an average of 12.73 to sit atop the bowling charts.
Experienced left-arm spinner Zia Ur Rahman Akbar also returns to the Test squad after missing international cricket for almost a year due to injury. Legspinner Khalil Gurbaz, who was part of Afghanistan’s Test squad for the Ireland Test in 2024, has also been recalled.
Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran continue to be rested from Test cricket. According to medical assessments, both players have been advised against participating in the longer format at this stage.
“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,” said ACB CEO Naseeb Khan.
“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. 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,” he added.
The one-off Test against Bangladesh will be played from October 9 to 13 at the Sheikh Zayed International Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The ODI tri-series will follow from October 17 to 23, with the first two matches in Abu Dhabi before the action moves to Sharjah for the remaining two.
Afghanistan and Zimbabwe will then play a three-match T20I series on October 27, October 29 and November 1, followed by a two-match Test series from November 5 to 9 and November 13 to 17. All five matches will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Afghanistan Test squad: Rahmat Shah (Captain), Ikram Alikhail (Vice-Captain & 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, Yamin Ahmadzai.
Reserves: Baheer Shah Mahboob, Naseer Khan Maroofkhil, Bilal Sami, Bashir Ahmad.
Afghanistan ODI squad: Rahmat Shah (Captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Vice-Captain & 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, Yamin Ahmadzai.
Travelling reserve: Qais Ahmad.
Afghanistan T20I squad: 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, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Farid Ahmad Malik.
Reserves: Faridoon Dawoodzai, Qais Ahmad, Nangyalai Khan.