Last Updated on 11 months ago by Charbel Coorey

Rashid Khan, the key player in the Afghanistan cricket team, stated that he does not wish to become the Afghanistan cricket team’s captain again. He also mentioned that the upcoming T20 World Cup is the only thing on the team’s mind now.

Over the past three years, Afghanistan has had a tough time finding the right man to lead them. The Afghanistan Cricket Board removed Asghar Afghan from captaincy just two months before the 2019 World Cup and named a split captaincy between Khan (T20Is), Gulbadin Naib (ODIs) and Rahmat Shah (Tests).

But, after Afghanistan ended the World Cup without a single win, Naib was stripped of the role, and Khan was named captain across formats.

In December 2019, Afghan was brought back, but 15 months into his stint, he was sacked again. Once Asghar Afghan was sacked from the captaincy, Rashid Khan expected to become the captain of the Afghan team.

However, ACB has named Hashmatullah Shahidi as the new Test and ODI captain, with Rahmat Shah being his deputy. The ACB also announced Rashid Khan as the new vice-captain of the Afghanistan T20I side. The board has not finalized which player will be the captain in the shortest format of the game.

During his interview with ESPNCricinfo, Rashid Khan spoke about how he wants to be a team player and doesn’t want his performance to be affected with the World Cup on the team’s mind.

“I want to do well for the team as a player, and my performance is a bit more crucial for the team rather than me thinking about different things being a captain. Also, it takes time, and right now, the most important thing is the World Cup which is quite near, and I feel it is too much for me to have.

“I am afraid it might affect my performance for the team, which is a key, so I am very happy as a player. Whatever decision the board and selection committee make, I am fully behind it and will appreciate it,” said Rashid Khan.