Afghanistan v Bangladesh one-off Test at Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Oct 9-13, 2026
Afghanistan and Bangladesh will meet in a one-off Test at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, starting at 11 AM IST on Friday, October 9, 2026, with the match scheduled to run until October 13 as part of the Afghanistan vs Bangladesh Series 2026.
Rahmat Shah has replaced Hashmatullah Shahidi as Afghanistan’s new captain while Najmul Hossain Shanto will lead Bangladesh; Afghanistan have adjusted their batting after their last Test against India in June but retained a similar bowling unit. Bangladesh enter the fixture having won a Test series against Pakistan and drawn a series in Australia. Taskin Ahmed has been rested and Nahid Rana remains injured, with Shoriful Islam set to spearhead Bangladesh’s bowling. The five-day forecast for Abu Dhabi predicts clear, sunny conditions with temperatures around 36 to 38°C and humidity between 45 and 55%, and the pitch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium is described as slow and likely to offer increasing assistance to spinners as it deteriorates, with batsmen expected to find more favourable conditions in the first two days.
Afghanistan squad: Afsar Zazai, Sediqullah Atal, Abdul Malik, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rahmat Shah (C), Ismat Alam, Shahidullah Kamal, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar, Qais Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi. Bangladesh squad: Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Mominul Haque, Towhid Hridoy, Musfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain.
Khel Now’s Dream11 recommendations list wicket-keepers Musfiqur Rahim and Afsar Zazai; batters Najmul Hossain Shanto, Sediq Atal, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Towhid Hridoy; all-rounders Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rahmat Shah and Shahidullah Kamal; and bowlers Shoriful Islam, Taijul Islam and Qais Ahmed. Their primary captaincy and vice-captaincy suggestions read: Captain First Choice: Najmul Hossain Shanto || Captain Second Choice: Taijul Islam; Vice-Captain First Choice: Musfiqur Rahim || Vice-Captain Second Choice: Qais Ahmed.
An alternate Dream11 captaincy set offered by Khel Now lists Captain First Choice: Mehidy Hasan Miraz || Captain Second Choice: Najmul Hossain Shanto and Vice-Captain First Choice: Rahmat Shah || Vice-Captain Second Choice: Towhid Hridoy.
In Test meetings between the sides, they have played twice and won one match each; Khel Now states Afghanistan’s performance in this format has been inconsistent, whereas Bangladesh have performed quite well recently, and backs Bangladesh to win the contest.
The one-off Test will be held from October 9 to 13, 2026, at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi; for further updates Khel Now Cricket can be followed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube, and its Android and IOS apps and Whatsapp & Telegram communities are provided for additional information.