Zimbabwe have named Brian Bennett as captain for a two-match Test series against Afghanistan in Sharjah, stepping in for regular skipper Richard Ngarava, who is sidelined by injury. The series opens November 5 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, with Afghanistan continuing under full-time Test captain Rahmat Shah but without Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran, both rested from the longer format for this assignment.
With Ngarava — usually a frontline seam-bowling option as well as captain — out of contention, Zimbabwe's 17-player squad brings back Brendan Taylor and Craig Ervine, both of whom stayed on in the UAE after the recent ODI tri-series involving Afghanistan and Bangladesh, giving the touring party extra batting experience alongside Bennett. Leg-spinner Graeme Cremer returns to Test cricket for the series, and seamers Vincent Masekesa and Kundai Matigimu are also back in the squad. All-rounder Antum Naqvi is included after clearing ICC eligibility requirements, while fast bowler Tanaka Chivanga misses out through injury.
Rahmat Shah has continued in the Test captaincy since taking over the full-time role, and this series sees him do so without two of Afghanistan's most recognisable players: Rashid Khan, rested from red-ball duty, and opener Ibrahim Zadran, also left out of the Test squad. In their place, Shahidullah Kamal and Yamin Ahmadzai have been recalled on the back of solid recent first-class form, giving Afghanistan's selectors a chance to test depth in a format where Rashid rarely features regardless of his white-ball workload.
Resting a bowler of Rashid Khan's profile for a Test series is a lower-risk call than it would be in white-ball cricket, where he is central to Afghanistan's gameplan, but it still removes a proven wicket-taking option from a seam-and-spin attack that otherwise leans on depth rather than one standout name. For Zimbabwe, handing the armband to Bennett with senior figures like Taylor and Ervine in support suggests a touring group trying to manage an injury list without disrupting its batting core too heavily.
The two-match series follows white-ball cricket both sides have already played against each other and other touring teams in the UAE this tour, with the Tests representing the longer-format centrepiece of the trip. The second Test is scheduled to begin November 13, also at Sharjah, giving both squads a short turnaround to make changes based on how the series opener plays out. It is also Afghanistan's second Test assignment in a month, after their one-off Test against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi ended in a draw in early October, giving Rahmat Shah's group a second look at red-ball form before a longer gap between Tests.
Graeme Cremer's return to Test cricket is the clearest value watch for Zimbabwe given his control as a frontline spinner, while Brendan Taylor and Craig Ervine's experience should anchor the middle order; for Afghanistan, Shahidullah Kamal and Yamin Ahmadzai are speculative picks worth tracking once the final XI is confirmed at the toss.
Follow ball-by-ball updates once the series begins on SportGod's live matches page, build a squad on SportGod's games page, and check data-backed forecasts on SportGod's predictions page.
Squad details in this article are verified against same-day and freshly re-checked reporting as of November 4, 2026; final playing XIs for the November 5 opener had not been confirmed at the time of writing.
Try Sport God AI live
Live scores, AI predictions, and fantasy — free during IPL 2026.