Rashid Khan has been rested for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, while Hashmatullah Shahidi will captain the squad in the red-ball encounter. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) declared that Rashid has been rested as a “precautionary measure to prioritise his well-being for the upcoming international events”. Rashid will return to lead the T20I team for the three-match series.
Meanwhile, pacer Ziaur Rahman, left-arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf, and leg-spinner Khalil Gurbaz all received Test calls after impressing on the domestic red-ball circuit. Shahidullah, a left-arm spin bowling all-rounder, has been included to both the Test and Twenty20 International squads. The Hashmatullah-led squad also comprises Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Bahir Shah, and wicketkeepers Afsar Zazai and Ikram Alikhil.
As far as the T20I squad is concerned, Rashid Khan returned as skipper with Zadran as his vice-captain.
Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, who made debut earlier in 2024, has also been called up. Experienced players like Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Noor Ahmad form the core of the T20I setup alongside pacers Fareed Malik and Abdullah Ahmadzai.
The series will be played from October 20 to November 2, with Harare set to host all games.
Afghanistan’s Test squad
Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Afsar Zazai (wk), Ikram Alikhel (wk), Bahir Shah, Shahidullah, Ismat Alam, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Ziaur Rahman Akbar, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Khalil Gurbaz and Bashir Ahmad
Reserves: Ibrahim Abdulrahimzai, Sediqullah Atal, Shams Ur Rahman
Afghanistan’s T20I squad
Rashid Khan (c), Ibrahim Zadran (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Bashir Ahmad, Fareed Malik and Abdullah Ahmadzai
Reserves: AM Ghazanfar and Faridoon Dawoodzai
India
