Rashid Khan Removed, Ibrahim Zadran Named Afghanistans New T20I Captain

Following a disappointing campaign in the T20 World Cup, Afghanistan have made a change in leadership. Opening batter Ibrahim Zadran has been appointed as the new captain of the Afghanistan T20I team, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced on Thursday (March 5) while unveiling the squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.

Discussions over the captaincy had been ongoing since Afghanistan failed to progress to the Super Eights in the World Cup. Eventually, former vice-captain Zadran was handed the responsibility, replacing Rashid Khan. The decision comes just a week before the start of the series.

There have also been several changes to the squad. Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib and Mohammad Ishaq — all part of the recent World Cup squad — have been dropped from both the T20I and ODI teams.

Top-order wicketkeeper-batter Noor Rahman, left-arm spin all-rounder Sharafuddin Ashraf and left-arm pacer Fareed Ahmad have been included in the T20I squad. Fareed Ahmad Malik has also returned to the ODI side.

Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, who featured in three of Afghanistan’s four matches in the T20 World Cup, has earned his maiden ODI call-up.

Although the series is scheduled to be held in Sharjah and Dubai, the ACB is closely monitoring the situation in the Gulf region. The board stated that while the initial plan is to proceed as per the scheduled venues and dates, alternative venues and revised schedules may be considered if necessary.

The three-match T20I series will be played on March 13, 15 and 17, followed by a three-match ODI series on March 20, 22 and 25.

T20I Squad:

Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Noor Rahman (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fareed Ahmad Malik and Abdullah Ahmadzai.