Star spinner Rashid Khan was on Friday appointed captain of the Afghanistan cricket team for all formats while Asghar Afghan, who was unceremoniously removed as skipper before the World Cup, will be his deputy.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), thus, has put an end to the split captaincy before it even came to effect.
Before the World Cup, Rahmat Shah was appointed Test captain while Gulbadin Naib emerged a surprise choice for ODI captaincy. Rashid himself was named the T20 captain.
“@rashidkhan_19 appointed as Team Afghanistan’s new Captain across all three formats while Asghar Afghan appointed as Vice-Captain,” the ACB tweeted.
At the World Cup, Afghanistan came close to upsetting biggies like India and Pakistan but eventually ended at the bottom of the 10-team table without a single win in nine games.
Twenty-year-old Rashid and seasoned Mohammad Nabi, the two IPL stars, had expressed displeasure at the removal of Asghar just ahead of the showpiece. Rashid has played two Tests, 68 ODIs and 38 T20s. Chief selector Dawlat Khan Ahmadzai and CEO Asadullah Khan have been sacked following the team’s winless campaign in the UK. Former ACB media manager Lutfullah Stanikzai has been named the new CEO.
