Rashid Khan states that the Afghanistan Cricket Board did not notify him prior to ousting him as T20I captain earlier this year. Following Afghanistan’s failure to advance past the group stage in the 2026 T20 World Cup, Rashid was replaced as captain by opening batter Ibrahim Zadran.
The board attributed the captaincy transition to alignment with its long-term strategic vision and recent team management changes, such as appointing a new head coach, without revealing additional details. Rashid stated that he was neither consulted nor informed by the board prior to the decision being made public.
Cricinfo quotes Rashid Khan as saying, “Even I don’t know what exactly happened at that time. I came to know [about the captaincy change] when the board announced it.”
Although Afghanistan performed poorly at the 2026 T20 World Cup, their record under Rashid remained positive, highlighted by reaching the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup. In total, he captained the team in 48 T20Is, securing 26 wins and suffering 22 losses. Asghar Afghan was the only Afghanistan captain with a better win-loss record, though his tenure coincided with a time when the team often faced lower-ranked opponents.
Afghanistan’s elimination from the 2026 T20 World Cup at the group stage immediately preceded the board’s decision to appoint a new T20I captain. The Afghanistan Cricket Board cited its long-term strategic vision and the appointment of a new head coach as reasons for the leadership change, though it did not offer detailed public explanations.
Rashid had led Afghanistan in 48 T20I matches, securing 26 wins and suffering 22 losses. His most significant accomplishment as captain was leading the team to the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup, a historic run that featured a win against West Indies. Looking back on his time in office, Rashid said,
He said, “Under my captaincy, we reached the T20 World Cup semi-finals; we beat West Indies, but sometimes things are not in your control. But I have moved on now. Whether I’m captain or not, I’m proud that I’m representing Afghanistan, and I’m trying to put to use whatever skills and capabilities I have. What I can control is to do well for Afghanistan and make them win.”
On March 5, 2026, Ibrahim Zadran, who had previously held the position of Afghanistan’s vice-captain in T20 Internationals, was appointed as Rashid Khan’s successor. His initial task in the role was a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka in Sharjah, starting March 13, 2026.
Under Zadran’s captaincy, Afghanistan competed in a three-match T20I series against India and lost all three games. Rashid, remaining in the series as a player, took 4 wickets for 113 runs at an economy rate of 9.82 over the three matches, failing to live up to his typically high standards.
