Rashid Khan steps down as Afghanistan captain over selection controversy minutes after ACB names T20 WC squad
“As the captain and responsible person for the nation, I reserve the right to be part of the selection of the team. The selection committee and ACB has not obtained my consent for the team which has been announced by ACB media,” he wrote in a post on Twitter.
While all eyes are on recent developments in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the country, the nation's cricket board revealed its T20 World Cup squad on Thursday.
Leg-spinner Rashid was named as the captain while veteran wicket-keeper Mohammad Shahzad was also included in the squad. Afasr Zazai and Farid Ahmad Malik were announced as the two standby players.
However, moments later, in a stunning development, Rashid Khan announced his decision of stepping down as the captain of the T20 side.
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"As the captain and responsible person for the nation, I reserve the right to be part of the selection of the team. The selection committee and ACB has not obtained my consent for the team which has been announced by ACB media," he wrote in a post on Twitter.
"I am taking the decision of stepping down from the roles as the captain of Afghanistan T20 side," he added.
Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) expressed "concern surrounding women's cricket in Afghanistan following media reports of the Taliban not allowing women to play the sport.
This in turn led Cricket Australia (CA) also stating that the planned men's Test match against Afghanistan in November would not go ahead if the country does not support women's cricket following the Taliban takeover.
