Rahmat Shah, the captain of Afghanistan, is optimistic that his team can prevail in the forthcoming tri-nation ODI series, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates from October 17 to 23, 2026. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe play each other once in the series before the top two teams play in the final on October 23. Shah thinks Afghanistan has a major advantage in the competition because they are accustomed to the conditions in the UAE.
Rahmat Shah has expressed confidence that his team can win the upcoming tri-nation ODI series
Rahmat Shah explained why Afghanistan should be viewed as the event’s favorites in a speech given prior to the series. The first match between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe is set for October 17 at Sheik Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The Afghanistan Cricket Board reports that the tri-nation series will take place from October 17 to October 23. Since we’ve been playing all of our games in the United Arab Emirates, and most of them in Abu Dhabi or Sharjah, I believe Afghanistan would be the favorite team here.
In light of the home conditions here, I believe we have more advantages,” Rahmat Shah stated to reporters. All of the teams have prepared themselves well for this event, so I wouldn’t say that they aren’t good teams, but it will be a good event,” he continued.
Afghanistan’s recent performance against Bangladesh in a one-off Test match from October 9–13, 2026, has contributed to their confidence. The team overcame a difficult situation to earn a draw, which Rahmat Shah called a noteworthy accomplishment. He gave credit to his teammates’ batting performance during the challenging circumstances of that game.
In my opinion, the Test game was one of the most important ones in which we retaliated. We were having trouble in the interim, but in the final one and a half days, the way the hitters batted is impressive. All of the boys deserve praise, especially the ones who batted well despite the intense heat. “To come back and finish with a draw in a game like this, where Bangladesh had the advantage, is an amazing accomplishment,” Rahmat Shah remarked.
According to the Afghanistan captain, the Test draw will give the team momentum before the ODI matches. “The outcome will boost confidence for the upcoming tri-series limited-overs games,” he said.Therefore, it’s clear that the Test draw will provide us with a significant boost and confidence for the ODI matches,” Rahmat Shah stated.
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Important players Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi will play for Afghanistan in the ODI series. Shah emphasized the significance of having both players available for the tri-series, but Rashid Khan was rested for the Test match in order to manage workload. He emphasized their elite qualifications and their performance in Afghanistan’s victorious Test campaigns. Nabi and Rashid have both demonstrated to everyone that they are elite athletes. In particular, Rashid Khan has contributed significantly to our victories in every Test match we’ve played because he consistently meets the standard of winning Man of the Match,” Rahmat Shah stated.
Shah reaffirmed that the team was affected by Rashid Khan’s absence from the Test team. He did, however, express optimism about both players returning for the ODI games, seeing their availability as a significant boost to Afghanistan’s tournament prospects.We missed Rashid in particular because he wasn’t in the Test squad. However, we will benefit greatly from having them for the ODIs. As I previously stated, they are elite players,” Shah remarked.
