Hashmatullah Shahidi

Afghanistan on Monday dropped four players from their Twenty20 World Cup squad, also shuffling the one-day combination for their tour of Bangladesh starting next month.

Hashmatullah Shahidi will captain Afghanistan in their first ICC Champions Trophy, starting February 19. Key players include Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rashid Khan, and Mohammad Nabi. Spinner Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman will miss the tournament. Afghanistan's group matches are against South Africa, England, and Australia.

Skipper Asghar Afghan on Thursday became the first Afghanistan batsman to hit 150 in an innings of a Test match. The 33-year-old cricketer achieved the feat in the ongoing second Test against Zimbabwe at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Bowling all-rounder Karim Janat is in line to play his first one-day international in six years following his inclusion on Sunday in the Afghanistan squad for the Asia Cup. The 25-year-old played his lone one-dayer in Zimbabwe in 2017 and made his test debut against Bangladesh in June this year.

Afghanistan chose to bowl first after winning the toss against New Zealand in the World Cup match. Afghanistan stuck to the same team that defeated England. The pitch is expected to be favorable for strokeplay, with the ball coming onto the bat nicely. New Zealand is currently second in the table, while Afghanistan is in sixth place.

The Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground will host a historic one-off test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand. Led by captains Hashmatullah Shahidi and Tim Southee, the event is expected to draw over 10,000 cricket fans. Supported by Play Sports, this match marks a significant moment for the city.

Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat against Australia in the 39th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Afghanistan made one change to their team, bringing in Naveen-ul-Haq in place of Fazalhaq Farooqi. Australia replaced Steve Smith and Cameron Green with Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell.

Ace spinner Rashid Khan was Monday named in a strong Afghanistan squad for the five-match Twenty20 international series in Ireland starting next week. The 23-year-old is a key for Afghanistan in Ireland as well as in the Asia Cup (August-September) in United Arab Emirates and Twenty20 World Cup (October-November) in Australia.

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and chose to bat against South Africa in the 42nd match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Afghanistan retained their playing XI from the last match against Australia while South Africa made two changes, bringing in Andile Phehlukwayo and Gerald Coetzee. Shahidi mentioned that they wanted to bat first due to the expected spin in the second innings. South Africa captain Temba Bavuma expressed the desire to chase and mentioned that the pitch might skid on later. This match also marks Kagiso Rabada's 100th ODI.

Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi remained unbeaten on 179 as Afghanistan trails Zimbabwe by 71 runs after a rain-hit fourth day of the first Test. Rahmat Shah scored 234 in a 364-run partnership with Shahidi, while rain halted play at 515/3. Both teams face slim chances of victory with more rain forecast for the final day.

Afghanistan on Monday named a squad packed with spin bowlers for the three-match one-day series in Sri Lanka next month, with one eye on this year's World Cup in India.

The 1992 champions Pakistan made one change to their playing eleven, replacing the fever-stricker Mohammad Nawaz with Shadab Khan. Meanwhile, Afghanistan decided to go with an extra spin option in the form of Noor Ahmad, who came in for fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Aiden Markram's unbeaten 69 steered South Africa to a seven-wicket victory against Afghanistan in the third ODI, avoiding a series whitewash. Chasing 170, South Africa recovered from 80-3 with an unbroken partnership between Markram and Tristan Stubbs. Despite this defeat, Afghanistan achieved a historic series win by securing victories in the first two matches.

Afghanistan's captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, has vowed to achieve more victories in their ODI World Cup campaign after a remarkable victory over Pakistan. Afghanistan secured their second surprise victory in the World Cup, including their first win over Pakistan in 50-over cricket. The victory was built on a dazzling all-round performance, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran playing pivotal roles. Pakistan suffered an eight-wicket defeat on a challenging Chennai pitch.

Afghanistan's surprising victory over defending champions England has elevated the team's standing, and New Zealand would be wise not to underestimate Hashmatullah Shahidi's side when they face off in their World Cup match on Wednesday.

Afghanistan secured a 2-0 series win in the third ODI against Ireland, with Mohammed Nabi contributing 48 runs and taking five wickets. Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 51 off 53 balls, while captain Hashmatullah Shahidi anchored the innings with a steady 69, despite facing resistance from the Irish bowlers in the final overs.

Looking for a big win to not let their net run-rate fall behind in the early phase of this ICC World Cup, England captain Jos Buttler decided to bowl first against Afghanistan after winning the toss at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday. Afghanistan made one change to their playing eleven, bringing in Ikram Alikhil in place of Najibullah Zadran. England, meanwhile, fielded and unchanged eleven.

The 25-year-old Rashid Khan holds the distinction of being Afghanistan's leading Test wicket-taker, having secured 34 wickets in five matches. His pivotal role in all formats of the game makes his absence a notable setback for the team. The selectors emphasised that Rashid's rehabilitation is being approached with caution, underlining the importance of monitoring his recovery process.

Afghanistan cricket has been progressing rapidly,as shown by their strong performances in recent ICC tournaments. They reached the semifinals of the 2024 T20 World Cup and secured key victories in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Their Test team also shows potential but needs more matches against top teams to improve further.