In a series of expected events, Rahmat Shah has been named as Afghanistan's new Test and ODI skipper. Meanwhile, star wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been appointed as the vice-captain of the side across both formats by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB).
New chapter for Rahmat Shah
The 33-year-old star will be Hasmatullah Shahidi, who stepped down from the captaincy role after taking over the role from January 2022. Notably, Shah is going to take over the captaincy role after serving as Shahidi's deputy in both Tests and ODIs since May 2021.
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The ACB confirmed the development by sharing an official statement, saying that they wish all the success to the former captain Shahidi, who played a big role in Afghanistan's recent growth in international cricket. Meanwhile the ACB congratulated the newly appointed skipper Rahmat, and wished him to achieve all the success in the new role.
"The ACB appreciates Hashmatullah Shahidi’s valuable service, dedication, and leadership during his tenure as captain and wishes him continued success in his future endeavors. The Board also wishes Rahmat Shah Zurmati every success in his new role and looks forward to working with him towards achieving the team’s objectives," said the ACB.
Shahidi's tenure as Afghanistan as captain
Shahidi was the seventh player to lead Afghanistan in the ODI format, he captained the side in 55 games between 2022 and 2026, the second-highest tally for the country following Asghar Afghan's 59. Under his captaincy, Afghanistan claimed 27 wins, suffered 25 losses and three games finished without a result. Notably, he led Afghanistan in big ICC tournaments, consisting of 2023 Asia Cup, the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
His iconic finish came in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where Afghanistan almost grabbed the semi-final berth claiming big wins over England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, along with the Netherlands.
The recently concluded three-game ODI series in India turned out to be Shahidi's final assignment as captain, with Afghanistan enduring a shameful 3-0 loss. Despite the series loss, he managed to record his maiden ODI century in his 96th game, scoring 102 off 131 balls in Chennai.