Afghanistan announce squads for Sri Lanka white-ball series, Ibrahim Zadran replaces Rashid Khan as T20I captain

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced the squads for the Sri Lanka white-ball series on Thursday, March 5 and the biggest development to emerge out of it is the promotion of Ibrahim Zadran to full-time captaincy of the T20I side, replacing Rashid Khan in the role.

Zadran, the established opening batter, was the vice-captain of the 20-over format side under the leadership of Rashid Khan. Following the debacle of the T20 World Cup 2026, the selectors have appeared to bring in a host of changes which includes the change of captaincy as well.

Rashid Khan captained the T20I side in 48 matches, winning 26 out of them. Meanwhile, Zadran is not brand new to T20I leadership as the 24-year-old has managed the side intermittently on 11 occasions since 2013 winning five of those.

Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil, the chief selector, shed light on the panel's decision. In a statement issued by the board, Sulimankhil credited Rashid for the achievements of the T20I side in the past couple of years and revealed that the board decided to bring in the changes in order to realise its long-term vision.

"Rashid Khan’s tenure as the T20I captain brought immense success to the team, particularly highlighted by the team’s remarkable journey in the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup, where we reached the semi-finals. In alignment with the ACB’s long-term strategic vision and following recent changes in our Team Management, including the appointment of a new head coach, we have made the thoughtful decision to transition the leadership within the T20I setup.

“Ibrahim Zadran, who has served as Rashid Khan’s deputy, will assume the role as Afghanistan’s regular captain in this format. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Rashid Khan for his valuable contributions and wish Ibrahim Zadran every success in this important new role.

“In addition, our long-term goal is to adequately prepare the team for the upcoming two World Cup events. We are hopeful that, under this new leadership, the National Team will not only flourish but also showcase outstanding performances and build a strong and competitive bench strength for the crucial challenges that lie ahead,” Sulimankhil said.

Other notable decisions involved the dropping of Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Ishaq from the squad which participated in the T20 World Cup. Keeper-batter Noor Rahman, left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Sharafuddin Ashraf, and left-arm pacer Fareed Ahmad have replaced the trio.

When it comes to the ODI squad, pacer Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi has been added for the first time while Fareed Ahmad Malik makes his return. Bilal Sami, who earned the Player of the Match award in his previous ODI for his fifer, has been retained and included in the T20I reserves too.

T20I Squad

Ibrahim Zadran (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Noor Rahman (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fareed Ahmad Malik and Abdullah Ahmadzai.

Reserves: Nangyal Kharoti, Bilal Sami and Ijaz Ahmadzai.  

ODI Squad

Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fareed Ahmad Malik and Bilal Sami.

Reserves: Qais Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem Safi and Bashir Ahmad.