Rashid Khan and Hashmatullah Shahidi - (Source: AFP)
In a significant development, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has accepted Hashmatullah Shahidi’s resignation. The board has also appointed a new captain for Tests and ODIs.
Interestingly, on Tuesday, July 21, Shahidi stepped down as Afghanistan captain from ODIs, but the board has also replaced him in red-ball cricket as well.
Rahmat Shah Appointed New Afghanistan Captain
In the latest move, ACB released a press statement, appointing Rahmat Shah as the new Afghanistan ODI and Test captain. Rahmat Shah has served consistently as Afghanistan’s vice-captain in both the Test and ODI formats since May 31, 2021, when Hashmatullah Shahidi was appointed captain.
Alongside Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz will serve as vice-captain in both formats. The upcoming series against Ireland will be the first assignment where Rahmat Shah will captain Afghanistan and Rahmanullah Gurbaz will act as his deputy.
"The ACB is confident that his experience, leadership, and understanding of the team will help Afghanistan achieve further significant success," remarked ACB.
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Revisiting Hashmatullah Shahidi's Legacy As Afghanistan Captain
Hashmatullah Shahidi was appointed captain of the Afghanistan national team on May 31, 2021. Notably, Shahidi led Afghanistan in 55 ODIs, the most-most by any player after Asghar Afghan.
In 55 ODIs, Shahidi has won 27 matches, registering a win% of 49.09. Hashmatullah Shahidi also captained Afghanistan in 7 Tests, registering just a solitary win.
Shahidi's most notable tenure came during 2023 ODI World Cup where he nearly took the team to the semi-finals. Afghanistan finished 6th but they beat the likes of Pakistan and England in that tournament.
Under Shahidi’s leadership, Afghanistan also achieved its highest-ever seventh position in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings. Shahidi's latest appearance as a captain came against India, where Afghanistan failed to win a solitary match in the multi-format bilateral series.
Why Was Rashid Khan Ignored For Afghanistan's Captaincy Role?
Rashid Khan is the first name that comes to mind when it comes to leading Afghanistan. The right-arm spinner has experience of playing across the globe and is also the leading wicket-taker for Afghanistan.
Notably, Rashid was appointed as Afghanistan's captain across three formats in 2019, but over the years, the reign changed hands. The right-arm spinner failed to replicate his individual heroics in leading the side, which is why ACB had to bring in other options.
Rashid led Afghanistan in 7 ODIs, winning just one match. In T20Is, Rashid found success as he took Afghanistan to semi-finals of 2024 T20 World Cup. However, there as well, Ibrahim Zadran was appointed captain.
In Tests, Rashid has not played a solitary game for Afghanistan since January 2 2025. Khan prefers franchise cricket more, which is why the ACB ignored him for the vacant captaincy position and went ahead with Rahmat Shah.
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