The red-ball leg of Afghanistan’s home season in the UAE is under way, with Afghanistan and Zimbabwe meeting in the first of two Tests at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium from 5 to 9 November 2026. Zimbabwe won the toss on the opening morning and chose to bat first, with openers Ben Curran and Innocent Kaia seeing off the new ball without loss in the first hour. It is the first Test match to be played in Sharjah in a decade — and the first time these two sides have met in the format since their shared series in Abu Dhabi in 2021.
Zimbabwe captain Brian Bennett, leading the side in the absence of the injured Richard Ngarava, had no hesitation at the toss. “We will bat first. This looks pretty good. I think the wicket might deteriorate later on,” Bennett said. “The first session will be important, but if we can get through that, we can put up a decent total.” Afghanistan, meanwhile, will be confident after dominating the white-ball leg of the tour, sweeping the three-match T20I series 3-0 in the same city.
Confirmed Playing XIs for the 1st Test
Afghanistan, led by Rahmat Shah, named a side built around experience in the batting order and variety in the attack. Their confirmed XI is: Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Shahidullah Kamal, Rahmat Shah (captain), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ikram Alikhil (wicketkeeper), Rahmanullah Zadran, Zia ur Rehman Sharifi, Qais Ahmad, Zia-ur-Rehman Akbar and Mohammad Saleem. Shahidi, Afghanistan’s most dependable long-format batter alongside his captain, and the spin options of Qais Ahmad and Zia-ur-Rehman Akbar give the hosts a balanced look for Sharjah’s traditionally spin-friendly surface.
Zimbabwe’s confirmed XI is: Ben Curran, Innocent Kaia, Brian Bennett (captain), Brendan Taylor (wicketkeeper), Craig Ervine, Antum Naqvi, Wessly Madhevere, Tafadzwa Tsiga (wicketkeeper), Graeme Cremer, Newman Nyamhuri and Blessing Muzarabani. The headline selection is Antum Naqvi, the Belgian-born batter who is in line for a Test debut after six hundreds in 24 first-class matches. Zimbabwe’s squad leans heavily on experience elsewhere, with three 40-year-olds — Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine and Graeme Cremer — in the group, while Ervine needs only nine more runs to become the seventh Zimbabwe batter to reach 2,000 Test runs.
Key Absentees on Both Sides
Neither side is at full strength, and the missing names shape the series. Afghanistan are without Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran for the Tests — Rashid, who became the first bowler to 200 T20I wickets during the white-ball leg against these same opponents, is not part of the red-ball squad. His absence puts the spin burden on Qais Ahmad and Zia-ur-Rehman Akbar, while Yamin Ahmadzai, Afghanistan’s second-highest Test wicket-taker, is available in the wider squad.
Zimbabwe are without Sikandar Raza, who last played a Test a year ago, and pace spearhead Richard Ngarava through injury — which is why the captaincy has passed to the young Brian Bennett. Bennett, one of the most promising leaders in Zimbabwe’s red-ball set-up, now has to marshal an attack led by Blessing Muzarabani against an Afghanistan batting line-up that has been in strong touch. Afghanistan’s last Test was a draw against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi, and they have not played the format since June, so both sides are shaking off a degree of rust.
Why This Series Matters Beyond Sharjah
On the surface, this is a two-Test series between two sides outside the World Test Championship’s current top tier. But it carries a bigger context: the ICC meets next weekend to discuss expanding the World Test Championship, and a series between Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland could soon carry points-table consequences. Both teams will know that a strong showing now strengthens the case for their inclusion in a wider competition — and that every Test win in this cycle builds the record they take into those discussions.
There is also the matter of Sharjah itself. The venue has not hosted a Test since Pakistan played West Indies there in 2016, and its return to the five-day calendar is a small milestone for cricket in the UAE. Afghanistan have made the Emirates their adopted home for this packed season — a one-off Test against Bangladesh, a tri-series, three T20Is against Zimbabwe and now two Tests — and the Sharjah crowds have had plenty to cheer. A competitive Test series, with the second match to follow from 13 to 17 November at the same ground, would round off that programme nicely.
Schedule, Venue and Where to Watch
The first Test runs from Thursday 5 November to Monday 9 November 2026 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, with play starting at 11:00 AM PKT each day. The second Test follows from Friday 13 November to Tuesday 17 November, also in Sharjah. There is no television telecast for the series, but live streaming is available on FanCode, while fans in Afghanistan can watch on Ariana TV and stream through the Etisalat app.
For Zimbabwe, the challenge is clear: bat long, blunt Afghanistan’s spin, and give Muzarabani and the seamers something to defend. For Afghanistan, the task is to convert white-ball dominance into red-ball control — and to make home advantage count in a series that, for both teams, is about more than just two matches in Sharjah.
Sources: ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe 1st Test; Wisden’s guide to where to watch the AFG vs ZIM Tests; Cricket World’s preview, squads and playing XI details for the 1st Test.
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