Hashmatullah Shahidi steps down as Afghanistan's ODI captain: Details
What's the story
Hashmatullah Shahidi has stepped down as the captain of Afghanistan's One Day International (ODI) team. The 31-year-old cricketer led his nation in 55 ODIs from January 2022 until their last match against India in June 2026. During his tenure, Shahidi captained Afghanistan in one Asia Cup and World Cup each, both held in 2023, as well as the Champions Trophy in 2025.
Leadership legacy
Notable victories for Afghanistan under Shahidi's captaincy
Under Shahidi's captaincy, Afghanistan won 27 ODIs, including notable victories over cricketing giants like England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands during the 2023 World Cup.
The team narrowly missed a semi-final spot but secured their place in the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai by finishing sixth.
In this tournament too, they managed to beat England but couldn't qualify for the semi-finals after their match against Australia was washed out.
Batting stats
Shahidi's batting stats improved while leading
As a captain, Shahidi's batting numbers were similar to his non-captaincy days.
His average was 32.97 with a strike rate of 64.39 when not leading Afghanistan, which slightly improved to 33.79 and 70.77, respectively, while being the captain.
He scored his only ODI century in 96 matches during Afghanistan's last ODI against India in Chennai, scoring an impressive 102 off 131 balls.
Information
Who will lead Afghanistan in Ireland?
Afghanistan will next be seen in action in August, when they tour Ireland for five ODIs. Ibrahim Zadran is leading the race to become the new ODI skipper, having led the Afghan team across 11 T20I matches so far. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Rashid Khan (T20I skipper) are the other notable options.