Rashid Khan Says He Was Not Told of Afghanistan T20I Captaincy Change

Rashid Khan has said he was not informed by the Afghanistan Cricket Board before being removed as the side’s T20I captain earlier this year, learning of the change only when it was publicly announced.

Speaking to Cricinfo in an interview facilitated by Red Bull, Rashid said he did not know the precise circumstances behind the decision. He was replaced by opening batter Ibrahim Zadran after Afghanistan did not advance beyond the group stage of the 2026 T20 World Cup.

“Even I don’t know what exactly happened at that time,” Rashid said. “I came to know [about the captaincy change] when the board announced it.”

Rashid reflects on Afghanistan captaincy record

Rashid’s removal came after Afghanistan’s early exit from the 2026 T20 World Cup, but his overall record as T20I captain included significant results for the team. Afghanistan reached the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup during his time in charge, and Rashid also pointed to a victory over West Indies.

Across 48 T20Is as captain, Rashid led Afghanistan to 26 wins and 22 defeats. The source states that only former captain Asghar Afghan had a better win-loss ratio among Afghanistan captains, although that period included more frequent matches against lower-ranked opposition.

Rashid acknowledged the disappointment of Afghanistan’s latest World Cup campaign while stressing that some decisions are outside a player’s control. He said he has moved on from the captaincy change and remains focused on contributing to the national side.

“Under my captaincy, we reached the T20 World Cup semi-finals, we beat West Indies, but sometimes things are not in your control,” Rashid said.

The legspinner added that representing Afghanistan remains his priority regardless of whether he holds the captaincy. “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.”

Zadran begins full-time role after change

Zadran’s first series as Afghanistan’s full-time T20I captain was the recent three-match contest against India. Afghanistan lost all three matches in that series.

Rashid took four wickets for 113 runs in the series, at an economy rate of 9.82. The results represented the first on-field chapter of Afghanistan’s new T20I leadership arrangement after the captaincy announcement in March.

For Rashid, the central point remains that he was not privately told of the decision before it became public. His comments provide his first-hand account of the change, while also underlining that he intends to continue serving Afghanistan in whatever role he is given.

Afghanistan’s T20I captaincy has therefore moved to Zadran, while Rashid remains part of the side after a leadership spell that produced 26 wins from 48 matches and included the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final run.