Mohammad Nabi dropped from Afghanistan's T20I squad: Details here
What's the story
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced the national team's squads for their upcoming series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. The announcement comes as a major surprise, with Mohammad Nabi being dropped from the T20I squad. Darwish Rasooli has also been omitted from both ODI and T20I teams. The decision marks a significant shift in Afghanistan's cricketing landscape as they prepare for international assignments.
Squad changes
New faces in T20I squad
The ACB has also announced some new additions to the T20I squad.
Mohammad Akram, who made his T20I debut at the 2026 Asian Games, has been included for the Zimbabwe series.
Young fast-bowling all-rounder Abdullah Tarakhil has also earned a spot in the T20I squad after impressive performances in July's Shpageeza Cricket League.
Leadership roles
Rahmat Shah appointed full-time captain
Rahmat Shah has been appointed as the full-time captain of Afghanistan's Test and ODI teams.
This will be his first assignment as a full-time Test captain after leading the team to a 4-0 ODI series win over Ireland in August.
Fast-bowling all-rounder Ismat Alam returns to the Test squad after missing out on the recent India Test match.
Player returns
Kamal, Ahmadzai return to Test squad
Left-handed middle-order batter Shahidullah Kamal and fast bowler Yamin Ahmadzai have also been recalled to the Test squad.
They made their mark in the ongoing Ahmad Shah Abdali First Class Tournament 2026.
Experienced left-arm spinner Zia Ur Rahman Akbar returns after almost a year-long injury layoff from international cricket.
Leg-spinner Khalil Gurbaz, who was part of Afghanistan's Test squad for the Ireland Test in 2024, has also been recalled.
Player rest
Rashid Khan, Ibrahim Zadran excluded from Test squad
Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran will not be part of the Test squad. Medical assessments have advised both players against participating in the longer format at this stage.
ACB CEO Naseeb Khan stressed the importance of Test cricket for Afghanistan and expressed commitment to strengthening their presence in this format.
Series details
Here's the complete schedule for the series
The one-off Test against Bangladesh will be played from October 9-13 at Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed International Cricket Stadium.
The ODI tri-series will follow from October 17-23, with the first two matches in Abu Dhabi and the last two in Sharjah.
Afghanistan and Zimbabwe will then play a three-match T20I series on October 27, 29, and November 1 before a two-match Test series from November 5-9 and November 13-17.
Test Squad
Afghanistan Test squad for one-off Bangladesh Test
Afghanistan Test squad: Rahmat Shah (captain), Ikram Alikhail (vice-captain & wk), Afsar Zazai (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Abdul Malik, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rahmanullah Zadran, Shahidullah Kamal, Ismat Alam, Qais Ahmad, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar, Khalil Gurbaz, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Yamin Ahmadzai.
Reserves: Baheer Shah Mahboob, Naseer Khan Maroofkhil, Bilal Sami, Bashir Ahmad.
ODI squad
Afghanistan ODI squad for BAN series
Afghanistan ODI squad: Rahmat Shah (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (vice-captain & wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyalai Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Yamin Ahmadzai.
Travelling reserve: Qais Ahmad.
Information
Afghanistan T20I squad for tri-series
Afghanistan T20I squad: Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Noor Rahman (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Mohammad Akram, Shahidullah Kamal, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Abdullah Tarakhil, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Farid Ahmad Malik. Reserves: Faridoon Dawoodzai, Qais Ahmad, Nangyalai Khan.