Afghanistan vs Bangladesh: One-Off Test in UAE Marks Bangladesh's First Red-Ball Tour There

Afghanistan host Bangladesh for a one-off Test in the United Arab Emirates from October 9-13, the first time Bangladesh have played a Test match on Emirati soil. The match is the opening fixture of a broader multi-format window in the UAE that also brings Zimbabwe into an ODI tri-series immediately afterwards.

Shanto leads a squad built around recalls

Bangladesh have named a 15-player squad captained by Najmul Hossain Shanto: Tanzid Hasan, Shadman Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Tawhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury and Shoriful Islam, alongside Shanto. Off-spinner Nayeem Hasan and pacers Musfik Hasan and Iqbal Hossain Emon travel as reserves. The recalls of Tawhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali Anik to the middle order stand out, giving Shanto options beyond the senior pairing of Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim.

A new surface to solve

Bangladesh arrive in the UAE off the back of a drawn Test series against Australia, a result that will have given the camp some confidence heading into conditions they have never faced in red-ball cricket. UAE pitches have historically played slower and flatter than subcontinent tracks further east, putting a premium on the control of Bangladesh's spin pairing, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam, against an Afghanistan batting line-up built around players with extensive domestic experience on similar surfaces in the region.

Part of a packed October window

The Test is the first leg of a busy month for both boards: an ODI tri-series involving Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe follows from October 17-23, opening with Bangladesh against Zimbabwe on the 17th, before Zimbabwe face hosts Afghanistan on the 19th and Afghanistan meet Bangladesh in the final league fixture on the 21st, with the top two advancing to a final on October 23. For Bangladesh, the Test doubles as preparation for a format they rarely get to play outside home conditions, while Afghanistan use home advantage in the UAE to build toward a heavier bilateral calendar.

Follow the series

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Squad lists and series dates in this article are verified against same-day and freshly re-checked reporting, current as of October 4, 2026.