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Afghanistan withdraws, Rinku Singh ton and Bangladesh win – October 18 Cricket highlights

Aakash Saini

Afghanistan players and Rinku Singh [Source: @CricFollow56, @KnightClub_KKR/x]Afghanistan players and Rinku Singh [Source: @CricFollow56, @KnightClub_KKR/x]

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has pulled out of next month’s Pakistan T20I tri-series in the wake of heightened cross-border tensions between the two nations. Jonathan Trott is set to leave his coaching duties for the Afghanistan team. In other news, Rishad Hossain claimed a sensational six-fer to headline Bangladesh’s emphatic win over West Indies.

Capping an eventful day in the world of cricket, here we take a look at five of the biggest cricketing news that emerged out of Saturday, October 18.

AFG withdraw from PAK tri-series after deadly airstrikes, Rashid Khan condemns

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has pulled out of the upcoming T20I tri-series in Pakistan after alleging that the Pakistani airstrikes in Paktika province claimed the lives of three up-and-coming Afghanistan cricketers. Amid a military standoff between the two countries, the ACB also described the attack a “cowardly” move from Pakistan military. Senior Afghanistan all-rounder Rashid Khan also condemned the attack, and even removed his PSL connections from his social media bio. In response, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has invited Zimbabwe to become the third team in the tri-series, also involving Sri Lanka.

Jonathan Trott to leave Afghanistan duties in 2026

Jonathan Trott is set to part ways with Afghanistan cricket team as their head coach following the conclusion of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next year. The former England batter was appointed to the role back in mid-2022, and during his tenure, the Afghanistan team finished sixth at the 2023 ODI World Cup in India and clinched a historic spot in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, where they subsequently defeated England. Afghanistan also reached the semifinals of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies.

Rishad Hossain’s six, Ankon’s memorable debut gives BAN big win

Mahidul Islam Ankon scored 46 off 76 balls to mark one of the highest individual scores by any Bangladeshi batter on ODI debut. Towhid Hridoy also scored a half-century as Bangladesh reached 207 against West Indies in the first match of the series in Mirpur. Rishad Hossain bludgeoned 26 off 13 balls to provide death-overs fury, before the cricketer picked up an exceptional six-wicket haul to sink West Indies down to 133 all out in 39 overs. Hossain’s spell of 6-35 also helped Bangladesh claim a huge 74-run win to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.

Rinku Singh blasts 165* for UP in Ranji Trophy 2025-26

India’s white-ball radical Rinku Singh blasted an unbeaten 165* against Andhra in the Elite Group A match of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season. Resuming his innings at 82* on the final day, Rinku raced to his eighth first-class century before notching up his highest individual score in the format. The cricketer whacked 13 boundaries and two huge sixes in Kanpur as UP reached 471-8 in 169 overs to gain a small lead over Andhra. The match eventually ended in a high-scoring draw, with Rinku bagging the ‘Player of the Match’ award.

ZIM name squad for Afghanistan Test

Zimbabwe Cricket has named Zimbabwe’s entire 16-player squad for the upcoming one-off Test match against Afghanistan. Craig Ervine will continue to lead the Zimbabwe team, and he will be accompanied by fellow star players like Brian Bennett, Sikandar Raza, Brendan Taylor and Richard Ngarava among others. The one-off Test between the two sides will take place at the Harare Sports Club in Harare between October 20 and October 24.