KABUL: The Afghanistan Cricket Board said on Wednesday that experienced middle-order batter Rahmat Shah will take over as Test and One-day International captain, a day after Hashmatullah Shahidi resigned from the role.

“Shah has served consistently as Afghanistan’s vice-captain in both the Test and ODI formats so he is extensively experienced,” the board said in a statement.

The 33-year-old replaces Shahidi, who led Afghanistan to 27 victories in 55 ODIs, including three consecutive ODI series wins over Bangladesh, during his five years as captain.

Shahidi also guided the team to four memorable victories at the 2023 World Cup in India.

His Test record as captain was poorer, with a single win, five losses and a draw in seven matches.

Afghanistan’s next assignment is a five-match ODI series in Ireland next month.

The team is currently eighth in the International Cricket Council’s ODI ranking, and needs to remain in the top 10 to secure an automatic qualification to next year’s World Cup.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2026