Afghanistan Legend Announces Retirement After T20 World Cup 2026 Embarrassment

Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi - (Source: X.com)

In a significant development, Afghanistan’s most-capped star Mohammad Nabi has announced his retirement from international cricket. The 41-year-old will bid adieu to the game 17 years after making his Afghanistan debut in 2009.

Nabi will retire after the Sri Lanka series as reported by ACBXtra, which is set to begin on March 13. On Thursday, March 5, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) revealed the squad for three T20Is and three ODIs. Notably, Mohammad Nabi is included in both squads and is expected to play his last game on March 25.

Mohammad Nabi Draws Curtain After 17 Years

Mohammad Nabi is associated with the rise of Afghanistan cricket to the top. He was part of Afghan's first-ever ODI in 2009 and also their first T20I in 2010. Notably, Nabi is the only cricketer to have played for Afghanistan since the start and he is the most capped player with over 300 matches across formats.

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It will be the first time in Afghanistan's career that they will be without Mohammad Nabi post Sri Lanka series. Talking about Nabi's illustrious career, he has featured in 327 matches and has amassed 6000+ runs. With the ball, Nabi has 288 wickets across formats.

In his illustrious career, Nabi took Afghanistan to greater heights and saw the side reach T20 World Cup 2024 semis. With the 41-year-old's departure, there will be a big void in Afghanistan cricket.

Afghanistan Cricket Undergoes Massive Overhaul After T20 World Cup 2026 Exit

As mentioned above, Afghanistan suffered an early exit from T20 World Cup 2026. Following this, the ACB took major decisions. Notably, the ACB removed Jonathon Trott as the head coach and roped in Richard Pybus as their new coach.

The Board wanted a coach who would have spent more time in Afghanistan, which is why Trott had to depart despite a successful stint. Following this, ACB also sacked Rashid Khan as the T20I captain and replaced him with Ibrahim Zadran.

Afghanistan's Squad For Sri Lanka T20Is and ODIs

Afghanistan’s T20I Squad For Sri Lanka Series

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.

Reserves: Nangyal Kharoti, Bilal Sami and Ijaz Ahmadzai.

Afghanistan’s ODI Squad For Sri Lanka Series

Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fareed Ahmad Malik and Bilal Sami.

Reserves: Qais Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem Safi and Bashir Ahmad.

At present, the series is under scrutiny because of the recent tensions in west asia.

Also Read: Rashid Khan Sacked As Captain, Afghanistan ODI, T20I Squad vs Sri Lanka Announced