Sediqullah Atal stayed at the crease for 514 minutes on the final day in Abu Dhabi to keep a Test alive, and the draw has pushed his name to the front of the selection debate. His 111 came against a target of 479, only days before the one-day games begin. Atal normally bats at number three in the 50-over side, so the hundred is a loud signal of form. Afghanistan face Zimbabwe on 19 October, so the selectors have little time to weigh what they just saw.
A Rescue Act in Abu Dhabi
Bangladesh declared their second innings at 372 for 7, leaving a target of 479 on the last day at Zayed Cricket Stadium. Atal answered with 111 from 332 balls, hitting nine fours and three sixes while Bangladesh kept probing for a breakthrough from both ends. No Afghan batter had ever reached a fourth-innings Test century before that afternoon. Taijul Islam finally removed him in the 119th over, by which point the chase had long stopped being the point.
Rahmat Shah contributed scores of 105 and 51 across the match, while Qais Ahmad finished unbeaten on 49 from 80 balls. Afghanistan ended on 346 for 8 after being bowled out for 240 in the first innings, against a Bangladesh opening total of 346. The one-off Test finished drawn on 13 October 2026, and the batting group walked off with its reputation repaired after a long day of resistance that tested every man in the line-up.
Sediqullah Atal Afghanistan ODI tri-series 2026
The one-day numbers show why this hundred carries extra weight. Across 17 matches in the format, he has scored 634 runs at an average of 39.62 and a strike rate of 86.84, with two centuries to his name. His best, 143 from 120 balls with 17 fours and four sixes, came in the fourth game against Ireland in Belfast. That is a rare blend of tempo and volume for a batter who sits at number three and sets the platform for others.
Zadran made 107 in the same game, and the pair put on 231 for the second wicket, which stands as an Afghan record for that partnership. Few batters reach a tournament holding a career best and a Test hundred within two months of each other. The timing makes Atal very hard to leave out, whatever combination the management prefers, and it gives the top three a settled, balanced look going into the first game.
Rahmat Shah Sees a Home Edge
Rahmat Shah spoke in Abu Dhabi on 16 October and called Afghanistan the favourite side here, since every game they have played has been in the UAE. He described the Test draw as a boost and a source of confidence for the one-day matches. He also credited the batters who stayed in during the Test, a pointed nod to the middle order that held firm when the match looked lost and the target looked out of reach.
He offered no comment on Atal himself or on the batting order, so the selection picture remains open. What the camp has said is that the squad feels settled in these conditions. Familiarity with the surfaces could matter as much as any single hundred, because a side that has already adapted to the heat and the pace of the pitches starts each match a step ahead of rivals still learning the conditions.
Questions Over the Top Order
No line-up has been announced for the opening game. The recent pattern, in the third game against Ireland, was Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Zadran opening, Atal at three, then Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi. The wider squad also holds Gurbaz as vice-captain and keeper, Ikram Alikhil as the second glovesman, plus Omarzai, Nabi and Rashid, so the bench offers plenty of choice if the management wants to rotate or reshape the balance.
Atal at three looks the safest call after a Test in which he showed rare patience, and a short turnaround does little to change that. Every thread in the Sediqullah Atal Afghanistan ODI tri-series 2026 story points to the same decision. The first match arrives on 19 October, and the answer comes at the toss. Anything else would ignore the evidence of the past two months.