Rahmat Shah to lead Afghanistan in ODI series against Ireland
What's the story
Rahmat Shah will lead Afghanistan's ODI team for the first time in a five-match series against Ireland, starting August 5. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Yamin Ahmadzai have been included in the squad to bolster their fast-bowling attack. However, Mujeeb Ur Rahman misses out due to injury. The series marks a fresh start for Afghanistan after their recent 3-0 defeat against India in June. Here's more.
Adjustments
Fareed and Bilal moved to reserves
The Afghanistan squad for the Ireland series sees Fareed Malik and Bilal Sami moved to reserves.
Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, who was part of the India series, will not be traveling either as he is playing for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Global Super League in Guyana.
Ahmadzai and Farooqi last played 50-over cricket for Afghanistan in November 2022 and February 2025, respectively.
Captaincy
Squad for the Ireland series
The series will also mark Hashmatullah Shahidi's return as a regular player after stepping down as captain.
Meanwhile, Rahmat Shah will lead the team for the first time. He has been Afghanistan's vice-captain in Tests and ODIs since 2021 and is their highest run-scorer in ODIs with 4,121 runs at an average of 35.22.
The squad also features Rahmanullah Gurbaz (vice-captain), Ibrahim Zadran, and Sediqullah Atal, among others.
Series details
A look at the schedule
Afghanistan's ODI series against Ireland will kick off in Bready with the first two matches on August 5 and 7.
The teams will then head to Belfast for the remaining three games on August 10, 12, and 15.
This series comes as a new opportunity for Afghanistan after their recent performance and player changes.
Information
AFG squad for Ireland ODI series
AFG squad for IRE ODI series: Rahmat Shah (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (vc, wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Nangyal Kharotai, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Yamin Ahmadzai, Saleem Safi, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.