Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah has expressed confidence that his team can win the upcoming tri-nation ODI series in the United Arab Emirates from October 17 to 23, 2026. The series features Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, with each team playing the other once before the top two teams contest the final on October 23. Shah believes Afghanistan's familiarity with conditions in the UAE gives them a significant advantage in the tournament.
Speaking ahead of the series, Shah outlined why Afghanistan should be considered favourites for the event. According to the Afghanistan Cricket Board, the tri-nation series runs from October 17 to 23, with the first match between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe scheduled for October 17 at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
"I think Afghanistan would be the favourite team here because we've been playing all our games in the UAE, and the majority of the games in Abu Dhabi or Sharjah. So, I think we have more advantages considering the home conditions here," Shah told reporters as quoted by Cricbuzz.
"I would not say that they are not good teams, but yeah, all the teams have prepared themselves well for this event and, yeah, it's going to be a good event," he added.
Afghanistan's home advantage in UAE conditions
Afghanistan's confidence stems partly from their recent performance against Bangladesh in a one-off Test match held from October 9 to 13, 2026. The team recovered from a challenging position to secure a draw, a result Shah described as a significant achievement. He credited the batting performance of his team members during the difficult conditions in that match.
"To say about the Test game, what I feel is that it was one of the historic games, from where we fought back. We were struggling in between, and then, in the last one and a half days, the way the batters batted, credit goes to all the boys, especially the batters who batted well throughout, in the heat we were having there. In such a game, when Bangladesh was having the upper hand, to bounce back and end up with a draw is a great achievement," Shah said.
The Afghanistan captain believes the Test draw will provide momentum heading into the ODI matches. He stated that the result will boost confidence for the upcoming limited-overs games in the tri-series.
"So, it's obvious that the Test draw is going to give us a good boost and confidence for the ODI games," Shah said.
Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi return for ODI series
Afghanistan will have the services of key players Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan for the ODI series. Rashid Khan was rested for the Test match as part of workload management, but Shah emphasised the importance of having both players available for the tri-series. He highlighted their world-class credentials and their track record in Afghanistan's successful Test campaigns.
"Both the players, Nabi and Rashid, are world-class players and they have proved it to everyone. Especially Rashid Khan, whenever we have played any Test games in which we have won, he's been a major cause for it because he's always achieved the benchmark of receiving the Man of the Match award," Shah said.
Shah reiterated that the absence of Rashid Khan in the Test squad was felt by the team. However, he expressed optimism about having both players back for the ODI matches, viewing their availability as a major advantage for Afghanistan's chances in the tournament.
"Especially Rashid, not having him in the Test squad, we missed him. But, yeah, having them for the ODIs is going to be a great advantage for us. They are world-class players, as I mentioned earlier," Shah said.
