Hashmatullah Shahidi is an Afghan cricketer and the current captain of Afghanistan national cricket team in One Day International and Test cricket. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler. He made his international debut for Afghanistan against Kenya in October 2013. He was the first Afghan player to score a test double hundred when he scored 200 not out against Zimbabwe in March 2021.
Hashmatullah Shahidi was born on 4 November 1994 in Logar, Afghanistan. His father, Abul Kashem, was a businessman and his mother, Nurjahan Begum, was a homemaker. He has two brothers, Shukrullah and Zekrullah, and one sister. He was passionate about cricket since his childhood and his father introduced him to the game when he was nine years old. He studied at King Khaled Institute, Stamford College and American International University of Afghanistan.
Hashmatullah Shahidi is married to his cousin, Samia Parvin, who is a psychology student at Dhaka University. They tied the knot on 22 March 2019. They have a daughter who was born in November 2020. He follows Islam and his hobbies include fishing, listening to music and horse riding. His favourite quote is "To be a great champion, you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are."
Hashmatullah Shahidi started playing cricket as a batsman and joined the Afghanistan Cricket Board's pace bowling academy in 2015. He played for the Afghanistan under-15 and under-17 teams before making his first-class debut for Chittagong Division in the 2017–18 National Cricket League on 13 October 2017. He made his List A debut for Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity in the 2017–18 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League on 5 February 2018. He was the joint-leading wicket-taker for Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity in the 2017–18 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, with 17 dismissals in eight matches. He made his Twenty20 debut for Afghanistan A against Ireland A on 13 August 2018. In November 2019, he was selected to play for the Dhaka Platoon in the 2019–20 Afghanistan Premier League. He made his Twenty20 debut for Dhaka Platoon in the 2019–20 Afghanistan Premier League on 12 December 2019.
Hashmatullah Shahidi was named in Afghanistan's squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. In November 2019, he was named in Afghanistan's squad for the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Afghanistan. Later the same month he was named in Afghanistan's squad for the men's cricket tournament at the 2019 South Asian Games. The Afghanistan team won the gold medal, after they beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the final. In January 2020, he was named in Afghanistan's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their series against Pakistan. The following month, he was named in Afghanistan's Test squad for their one-off match against Zimbabwe. He made his Test debut for Afghanistan, against Zimbabwe, on 10 March 2020. On 11 March 2021 he became the first Afghan player to score a test double hundred when he scored 200 not out in Afghanistan's first innings total of 545 for 4 declared in the Test against Zimbabwe. In April 2019, he was named in Afghanistan's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup . On 18 June 2019, in the match against England, Hashmatullah scored his 1,000th run in ODIs. In September 2021, he was named in Afghanistan's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. In May 2021, he was named as captain of Afghanistan national cricket team in One Day International and Test cricket after Asghar Afghan was sacked from captaincy by Afghanistan Cricket Board.
Hashmatullah Shahidi has played 62 ODIs for Afghanistan till date, scoring 1,665 runs at an average of 31.41. His highest score is 97 not out against Pakistan in September 2019. He has also taken 0 wickets at an average of –. His best bowling figures are –.
Hashmatullah Shahidi has played 6 T20Is for Afghanistan till date, scoring 48 runs at an average of 24.00. His highest score is 36 against Kenya in September 2013. He has also taken 0 wickets at an average of –. His best bowling figures are –.
Hashmatullah Shahidi has played 6 Tests for Afghanistan till date, scoring 375 runs at an average of 53.57. His highest score is 200 not out against Zimbabwe in March 2021. He has also taken 0 wickets at an average of –. His best bowling figures are –.
Hashmatullah Shahidi was appointed as captain of Afghanistan national cricket team in One Day International and Test cricket in May 2021, replacing Asghar Afghan who was sacked by ACB. He led Afghanistan to their first ODI series win against England in October 2021, scoring a century in the third match. He also led Afghanistan to their first Test series win against Afghanistan in June 2023, scoring a double century in the second match.
Hashmatullah Shahidi was criticized for his slow batting during the 2019 Cricket World Cup, especially in the match against England where he scored 76 off 100 balls while chasing a target of 398. He defended his approach by saying that he wanted to bat till the end and avoid a huge defeat. He was also involved in a verbal spat with Indian captain Virat Kohli during the Asia Cup in September 2021, after Kohli accused him of wasting time by calling for drinks during his innings. Shahidi responded by saying that he was feeling dehydrated and needed some water. The two players exchanged words and had to be separated by the umpires.