Rashid Khan led Afghanistan in T20 World Cup 2026 (PC: x.com)
In a developing update, Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has decided to move on Rashid Khan as T20I captain after an early exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Reportedly, the board wants to move on from the skipper and hand over the reigns to Rashid's deputy, Ibrahim Zadran.
As a local Afghanistan media outlet, Amu TV, the board has decided to hand over the T20 leadership to Zadran due to "personal issues". The report further said, "No further details were provided" (by the ACB).
Rashid Khan wasn't first choice for T20 WC 2026
Rashid Khan, who led Afghanistan to the semifinal in the last edition, failed in this tournament as the team lost to South Africa and New Zealand in the group stage. It is worth mentioning that the Asian team suffered a heartbreak against the Proteas, losing the game in a double Super Over at Ahmedabad.
Although the report also mentioned that the board did not want to pick Rashid Khan as captain, but went with the leg-spinner after-all.
"Sources said the board had previously considered removing him from the captaincy ahead of the T20 World Cup but did not proceed at the time," the report from Amu TV stated.
Read More: Meet Richard Pybus; Afghanistan's New Coach Who Won Three World Cup Trophies In A Year
Having said that, some other media reports say the decision over Rashid's removal is a "non-cricketing matter". Additionally, the board has had a meeting with Ibrahim Zadran in Kabul over his role.
During the T20 World Cup 2026, Rashid Khan became the first man to snap 700 wickets in T20 wickets, out of which 193 he has taken for the national team. The leggie snapped a total of 6 wickets off 4 matches, at a strike rate of 16.00 in the mega-event.
Rashid, who was named Afghanistan's captain in 2019, had two stints as the team's T20I captain. So far, he has led the national team in 48 matches - the most after Asghar Afghan, winning 26 games and losing 21.
Moreover, Ibrahim Zadran hit 170 runs after four outings at a strike rate over 140, including his career-best of 95 not out against Canada. He was the highest run-getter for Afghanistan in this edition.
Poor show for Afghanistan since 2024 T20 WC
Afghanistan, as a team, have been in poor form after the end of the 2024 T20 World Cup, losing 10 matches with a win-loss ratio of 1.4. They had a poor run in the 2025 Asia Cup, where they didn't even advance to the Super 4 stage, winning just a solitary game against Hong Kong.
Although they were short of luck in the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup 2026, with players getting injured and tweakers not coming to the party when it was needed.
Afghanistan's next T20I assignment is against Sri Lanka as they host the Island Nation for the first time in Sharjah next month. Ibrahim Zadran can be expected to be announced as captain versus Sri Lanka.
Notably, Rashid Khan currently leads the team in the shortest format, while Hashmatullah Shahidi is their captain in Test and ODI formats.
Read More: Watch - KL Rahul, Auqib Nabi Get Face-To-Face In Ranji Trophy, DC Star Refuses To Walk Away
