Rahmat Shah Named Afghanistan's New Test and ODI Captain

Afghanistan have a new leader in the longer formats. The Afghanistan Cricket Board has named Rahmat Shah as captain of the Test and ODI sides, taking over from Hashmatullah Shahidi.

Shahidi steps down after leading Afghanistan through one of its most successful stretches. His tenure included a sixth-place finish at the 2023 ODI World Cup, wins over England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands at that tournament, and a maiden bilateral series win over South Africa. He also led the side to its first-ever appearance at the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.

Rahmat is no stranger to leadership. He has served as Shahidi's deputy in both formats since 2021. The 33-year-old has played 128 ODIs and 12 Tests for Afghanistan since his debut in 2013, and briefly held the Test captaincy back in 2019 before Rashid Khan was named captain across all formats.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz takes over as vice-captain in both formats.

The new leadership group gets its first assignment next month. Afghanistan tour Ireland for a five-match ODI series starting August 5, giving Rahmat an immediate chance to put his own stamp on the side ahead of a busy build-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup.