Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi question decision to sack Asghar Afghan as Afghanistan skipper
Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan and Rahmat Shah were named captains for ODIs, T20Is and Test respectively following Asghar Afghan's sacking as Afghanistan captain.
Few hours after Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) decided to remove Asghar Afghan as the team’s captain, Rashid Khan, who was named Afghanistan‘s T20I skipper and ODI vice-captain, and Mohammad Nabi, Afghan’s predecessor, questioned the board’s decision to sack Afghan a month before the World Cup 2019.
Following Afghan’s sacking, Gulbadin Naib and Rahmat Shah were respectively.named the ODI and Test skippers. (ALSO READ: Asghar Afghan sacked as Afghanistan captain)
Rashid and Nabi, who are currently in India to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, took to Twitter and threw their weight behind Afghan.
Nabi made it clear that this is not the right time to change the captain and further said that the team has “gelled really well under Asghar”.
“Being a senior member of the side & having seen the rise of Afghanistan cricket @ashrafghani I don’t think it’s the right time to change the captain before the WC @afgexecutive The team has gelled really well under #Asghar & personally feel he is the right man to lead us @hmohib,” wrote Nabi.
Being a senior member of the side & having seen the rise of Afghanistan cricket @ashrafghani I don’t think it’s the right time to change the captain before the WC @afgexecutive The team has gelled really well under #Asghar & personally feel he is the right man to lead us @hmohib
— Mohammad Nabi (@MohammadNabi007) April 5, 2019
Rashid, who is one of the most sought-after players across the globe, said that he disagrees with the decision of the selection committee as “it is irresponsible & bias”.
“With all the respect to the Selection Committee, I strongly disagree with the decision as it is irresponsible & bias. As we have @cricketworldcup in front of us, Captain #MAsgharAfghan should remain as our team Captain. His captaincy is highly instrumental for team success .(1/2),” wrote Rashid before adding, “With just months to go for such a mega event like World Cup, changing the captain will cause uncertainty and also team morale will be affected. @ashrafghani @afgexecutive @hmohib( 2/2)”
With all the respect to the Selection Committee, I strongly disagree with the decision as it is irresponsible & bias. As we have @cricketworldcup in front of us, Captain #MAsgharAfghan should remain as our team Captain. His captaincy is highly instrumental for team success .(1/2)
— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) April 5, 2019
With just months to go for such a mega event like World Cup, changing the captain will cause uncertainty and also team morale will be affected. @ashrafghani @afgexecutive @hmohib( 2/2)
— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) April 5, 2019
Asghar took over the captaincy reigns from Mohammad Nabi in April 2015. Under him, Afghanistan won their first ever Test, when they beat Ireland in India in March this year. (ALSO READ: Asghar Afghan basks in historic day for Afghanistan cricket)
The right-handed batsman led the side in 37 Twenty20 internationals and 33 ODI wins, including a successful ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 campaign, where Afghanistan beat West Indies in the final.
The Asian side will next travel to Scotland and Ireland in May and face the hosts in two ODIs each before taking on Pakistan and England in one-off ODIs ahead of the World Cup, where they will face Australia in their first game on June 1.