Rashid Khan SACKED as Afghanistan announce new T20I captain for Sri Lanka series
Rashid Khan captained Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup 2026.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has removed all-rounder Rashid Khan as their T20I captain ahead of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka. The decision comes after Afghanistan’s disappointing performance at the T20 World Cup 2026, where they were eliminated in the first round.
Rashid captained the team in the tournament, where they were placed in Group D in the league stage. They won against the UAE and Canada but failed to outplay South Africa and New Zealand. Finishing in the third spot in the points table, they could not qualify for the Super 8.
It was a big disappointment for Afghanistan as they reached the semi-finals in the previous edition in 2024. Now, with just over a week left for the Sri Lanka series, the ACB has named a new captain in the shortest format.
Ibrahim Zadran appointed as Afghanistan’s new T20I captain
Star batsman Ibrahim Zadran, who was the vice-captain in the T20 World Cup 2026, has been promoted as Afghanistan‘s new T20I captain. Ibrahim’s first assignment will be the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, to be played in the UAE on March 13, 15, and 17.
The three ODIs will take place from March 20 to 25. Afghanistan have also made some changes to their T20I and ODI squads. Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, and Mohammad Ishaq, who played in the T20 World Cup, have been overlooked for both series.
Wicket-keeper batter Noor Rahman, spin all-rounder Sharafuddin Ashraf, and pacer Fareed Ahmad have been added to the T20I squad. Fareed Ahmad Malik makes a comeback to the ODI team. Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi has earned his maiden ODI call-up after featuring in the T20 World Cup last month.
Afghanistan’s squad for the Sri Lanka series-
Afghanistan’s T20I squad: 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.
Afghanistan’s ODI squad: 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.
Who has been appointed as the new T20I captain of Afghanistan?
Ibrahim Zadran has been appointed as Afghanistan’s new T20I captain
Who has Ibrahim Zadran replaced as the T20I captain of Afghanistan?
Ibrahim Zadran has replaced Rashid Khan as the new T20I captain.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.