Afghanistan face Zimbabwe in first Test at Sharjah with WTC spot on horizon

Afghanistan and Zimbabwe begin a two-Test series at Sharjah on 5 November 2026, with the first match running until 9 November. The fixture is part of Zimbabwe's tour of the United Arab Emirates.

Afghanistan will play their fourth Test of 2026, more than in any previous calendar year. Zimbabwe have played only one Test in 2026 after playing ten in 2025, with two more scheduled against Afghanistan.

Afghanistan have played only 14 Tests in their history and do not have a proper home ground. Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland remain outside the World Test Championship. The ICC will discuss World Test Championship expansion at its meetings next weekend.

Why it matters

Zimbabwe are pushing for a place in the World Test Championship and see it as their responsibility as Full Members to champion the longest format, even if it is a financial strain.

Afghanistan and Zimbabwe have their eyes on the men's ODI World Cup, which is 11 months away. Afghanistan have reached their highest-ever sixth position on the ICC rankings and could be eyeing a push for a semi-final spot.

Zimbabwe missed out on the last two ODI World Cups and will want to show themselves off as co-hosts. The outcome of the Tests may be secondary to the players both sides are able to unearth.

What happens next

Zimbabwe will be led by Brian Bennett in Richard Ngarava's absence. Ngarava has a back problem. Antum Naqvi is set to make his Test debut for Zimbabwe, which would mean a rejig of the playing XI.

Naqvi is Belgian-born and has six hundreds in 24 first-class matches and a solid List A record. Zimbabwe's squad leans on experience in the form of a trio of 40-year-olds: Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine and Graeme Cremer.

Sikandar Raza is not in the squad; he last played a Test a year ago and supports Zimbabwe's inclusion in the WTC but sees his own career winding down. Afghanistan have none of Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran available for this series.

Rahmat Shah is Afghanistan's leading run-scorer and captain. Hashmatullah Shahidi and Yamin Ahmadzai, Afghanistan's second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, are at his disposal. Afghanistan's last Test was a draw against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi and they may stick with the same XI that secured that result.

Afghanistan's form in their last five completed matches is DLLWD, most recent first. Abdul Malik scored his first Test fifty against Bangladesh last month after not making more than 30 in a Test innings prior to that knock. Sediqullah Atal and Rahmat are in Afghanistan's ranks.

Bennett has only crossed 30 once in his last ten innings across all formats. His last Test innings, against Bangladesh in Harare, brought a half-century. He has two hundreds, one of them against Afghanistan, to his name.

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• Harmer shines as South Africa wins third Test against Australia to claim series 2-1

Sources

• ESPNcricinfo

• espn.co.uk