Hasmatullah Shahidi steps down as ODI captain of Afghanistan cricket team after a historic four year run

XtraTime Newsdesk: Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan's veteran batsman, has stepped down as the team's ODI captain but will still play for the side in the 50-over format. The 31-year-old was named Afghanistan's one-day international captain in early 2022, and he led the team in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. He will continue to serve as Afghanistan's Test captain.

Shahidi's most famous performance as captain was against India in the 2023 World Cup, when he hit a fluent 80 off 88 deliveries to help Afghanistan reach 272. However, India's chase was easily completed by Rohit Sharma's team. Afghanistan won 27 out of 55 games while Shahidi was their captain.

Afghanistan had a remarkable World Cup campaign under Shahidi's leadership in 2023, defeating England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands. After a great run, they nearly missed out on a spot in the semi-finals before Shahidi led the squad to the Champions Trophy.

He posted on social media saying, "Today I announce with full respect and consent that I am resigning as captain of my team at my personal decision. It was a great honour for me to perform this responsibility as a Captain. I am proud to have served alongside my team with honesty, unity and commitment. By the grace of Allah, with the efforts of the officials, coaches and players, we have achieved many victories, won important matches, defeated big teams and made the name of the team higher."

The left-handed batter has accumulated over 2,600 runs in 96 ODIs, including one century.