The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Wednesday (July 22) announced the new captain of the Afghanistan national cricket team. A day after Hashmatullah Shahidi resigned as Test and ODI captain, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) appointed Rahmat Shah as the new captain.
Rahmat Shah has been serving as the vice-captain of Afghanistan in Tests and ODIs since May 2021. With years of international experience, leadership skills and a strong sense of team, he is seen as the right person to take Afghanistan forward. Meanwhile, wives of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah reacted to CJP’s Jantar Mantar protest.
Rahmat Shah replaced Hashmatullah Shahidi as Test and ODI captain, Rahmanullah Gurbaz appointed vice-captain
Additionally, the ACB also appointed star wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz as the new vice-captain. Rahmat Shah and Gurbaz will take charge of both the Test and ODI teams.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board said in an official media release: “The ACB is confident that their experience, leadership and understanding of the team will help Afghanistan achieve further significant success. The Afghanistan Cricket Board wishes both Rahmat Shah Zurmati and Rahmanullah Gurbaz every success in their new leadership roles.”
Shah and Gurbaz will take charge during Afghanistan’s upcoming five-match ODI series against Ireland. The ACB is hopeful that the new leaders will bring greater success to the Afghanistan national cricket team and continue the team’s strong progress in international cricket. Meanwhile, Mohsin Naqvi’s PCB has introduced mandatory paddle training for Pakistan players.
Hashmatullah Shahidi’s successful captaincy style
Hashmatullah Shahidi has had a great time as Afghanistan captain. During his captaincy, the Afghan team improved significantly and produced some memorable performances.
Shahidi led Afghanistan in 55 ODIs and won 27 of them. Their biggest highlight came in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where Afghanistan stunned the cricket world by defeating England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands. Those famous wins helped the team finish sixth in the tournament.
Then, Afghanistan qualified for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 for the first time due to their incredible 2023 ODI World Cup performance. In their first match the team once again impressed everyone by defeating England and finishing fifth in the tournament.
Under Shahidi’s captaincy, Afghanistan reached its highest ever position of seventh in the ICC men’s ODI team rankings. He has also performed brilliantly in the ODI series under Shahidi. Between 2024 and 2025, they won five consecutive ODI series against Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.
ACB lauds Shahidi’s achievements as Afghanistan captain
One of the biggest achievements came against South Africa, when Afghanistan won their first bilateral ODI series against the Proteas. The team also dominated Bangladesh and won three consecutive ODI series – first in Bangladesh in 2023, and then twice in UAE in 2024 and 2025.
Praising Shahidi’s leadership, the ACB said: “The Afghanistan Cricket Board appreciates the valuable service, dedication and leadership of Hashmatullah Shahidi during his tenure as captain and wishes him continued success in his future endeavours. The Board also wishes Rahmat Shah Zurmati every success in his new role and looks forward to working with him towards achieving the team objectives and securing more wins for Afghanistan.”