AFG appoint Rahmat as new Test and ODI captain after Shahidi's resignation

Hashmatullah Shahidi has resigned as the captain of Afghanistan's Test and ODI teams. Following his resignation, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has appointed middle-order batsman Rahmat Shah as the new captain of the national team in the two formats.

He 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.

Along with Rahmat, Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been named as the deputy in both formats. Rahmat will lead the side in the upcoming series against Ireland.

𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐘 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓! 🚨@RahmatShah_08 has been appointed Afghanistan’s new Test and ODI captain, with @RGurbaz_21 named as his deputy. The leadership change follows @Hashmat_50’s resignation from the role last evening. 👍

🔗: https://t.co/rWDxUG15Sj… pic.twitter.com/X8GKHETq9q

— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) July 22, 2026

Earlier, Shahidi was appointed as captain in May 2021 and secured a series win against 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.

Following his decision to step down as the captain, he took to his official social media handle and wrote, "Today I announce with full respect and consent that I am resigning as captain of my team at my personal decision. It was a great honor for me to perform this responsibility as a Captain. I am proud to have served alongside my team with honesty, unity and commitment. By the grace of Allah, with the efforts of the officials, coaches and players, we have achieved many victories, won important matches, defeated big teams and made the name of the team higher".

"All these achievements are not just mine, but also the result of the teamwork, sacrifices and coordination of the entire team. I thank all the players of my team from the bottom of my heart who always supported me and stood shoulder to shoulder with me in every victory and every challenge. I also thank the officials and the administration of the team who believed in me and always supported me. Your trust and cooperation will always be an honor for me," he added.

(With Inputs from Agencies)