Rashid Khan reappointed as Afghanistan captain in T20Is

Rashid Khan has been reappointed Afghanistan’s T20I captain, succeeding Mohammed Nabi, who stood down following the 2022 T20 World Cup. Rashid is no stranger to the job, having previously captained Afghanistan in various formats. Mirwais Ashraf, the ACB chairman, claimed that Rashid’s expertise of playing in several T20 competitions throughout the world will help “take the team to a new level”. Rashid’s first task will be a trip to the United Arab Emirates in February of next year, where Afghanistan will play three Twenty20 Internationals.

Meet Our T20I Captain 🚨🤩@rashidkhan_19, Afghanistan’s Cricketing Wizard, has replaced @MohammadNabi007 as AfghanAtalan’s captain for the T20I format.

Read More 👉 https://t.co/fYUYXrjmxe pic.twitter.com/ZKz9IuVGtL

— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) December 29, 2022

“Captaincy is a great duty,” Rashid remarked following the announcement. “I have the experience of leading my nation previously, there is a terrific team of individuals with whom I have a solid understanding and feel very comfortable. We shall attempt to keep together, work hard to get things back on track, and restore pride and joy to our land and nation”.

Rashid, 24, had previously captained Afghanistan in T20Is for three months between September and November 2019, winning four of seven matches. Under his guidance, Afghanistan has won seven of sixteen matches across all forms.

In the previous two years, the ACB has been eager to give Rashid the captaincy. Rashid renounced the T20I captaincy in June 2021, knowing it would have an impact on his effectiveness as a player. Last October, he was selected captain for the 2021 T20 World Cup in July. However, Rashid resigned from his post a month before the competition began, claiming that the selection committee and ACB had not received his approval in picking the side, and Nabi took over as captain.

“Rashid Khan is a huge name in Afghanistan cricket,” stated Ashraf. “He has tremendous experience of playing the format throughout the world which will enable him take the team to a new level in the format. “Rashid Khan has the expertise of leading AfghanAtalan in all three forms before and we are glad to have him as our captain for the T20I format again. I am convinced he will come out on top and will bring greater honour to the nation”.