Hashmatullah Shahidi steps down as Afghanistan's ODI captain

Hashmatullah Shahidi has stepped down from his position as Afghanistan’s ODI captain with immediate effect. He captained his team in 55 ODIs from January 2022 until their recent series against India in June 2026.

The 31-year-old led his team in the Asia Cup and ODI World Cup in 2023 as well as the Champions Trophy in 2025. Under his leadership, Afghanistan won 27 matches, including victories against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands at the 2023 World Cup, where they almost made it to the semi-final.

They also beat England twice, both at the 2023 World Cup and the Champions Trophy 2025. Afghanistan finished sixth in the World Cup, which helped them to qualify for the Champions Trophy, where they again missed out on the semi-final spot after their last fixture against Australia was washed out.

Under Shahidi's captaincy, Afghanistan also secured bilateral series victories over Bangladesh (thrice), Zimbabwe (twice), and South Africa and Ireland (one each).

Shahidi's batting record as captain

Captaincy had little effect on Shahidi's batting returns, as he averaged 32.97 and had a strike rate of 64.39 before being handed the responsibility. As captain, those figures improved only marginally, with his average rising slightly to 33.79 and his strike rate to 70.77.

His only ODI century in 96 appearances came in Afghanistan's last ODI against India in Chennai, where he struck 102 off 131 deliveries. Afghanistan’s next ODI assignment is in August against Ireland, where they will play five matches.