Hashmatullah Shahidi has resigned as captain of Afghanistan’s ODI team, bringing an end to a leadership stint that began in 2022. His final assignment as skipper came in the recently concluded ODI series against India. The 2026 ODI series between India and Afghanistan concluded on June 20, with India completing a 3-0 whitewash to seal the series in dominant fashion.
During his tenure, Shahidi captained Afghanistan in 55 ODIs, guiding the side through major ICC events, including the 2023 ODI World Cup, the Asia Cup, and qualification for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. Afghanistan registered 27 victories under his leadership.
Memorable World Cup Campaign
One of the biggest highlights of Shahidi’s captaincy was Afghanistan’s impressive run at the 2023 ODI World Cup. The team stunned cricketing heavyweights England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka before narrowly missing out on a place in the semi-finals after suffering a heartbreaking defeat to Australia.
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Afghanistan also enjoyed success in bilateral cricket during Shahidi’s reign, winning ODI series against Bangladesh on three occasions and Zimbabwe twice, while also recording series victories over South Africa and Ireland.
Improvement With Bat
Shahidi’s individual performances also improved after taking over the captaincy. Before leading Afghanistan, he averaged 32.97 in ODIs with a strike rate of 64.39. As captain, those numbers rose to an average of 33.79 and a strike rate of 70.77.
A major milestone came in the third ODI against India, where Shahidi scored 102 off 131 balls to register his maiden ODI century – the first three-figure score of his career in the format.
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Hashmatullah Shahidi’s International Record
Shahidi has represented Afghanistan in 12 Tests, 96 ODIs and six T20Is, scoring 796, 2,607 and 48 runs respectively. His record includes two Test centuries, one ODI hundred, and 22 ODI half-centuries.
Afghanistan’s next ODI assignment is a bilateral series against Ireland in August. The Afghanistan Cricket Board is yet to announce Shahidi’s successor as captain.
