Rashid Khan to lead Afghanistan in upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, Najibullah Zadran named vice-captain

New Delhi: Star leg-spinner Rashid Khan was appointed captain of Afghanistan’s T20 team keeping the ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in UAE from 17 October to 14 November, in mind. Left-handed batsman Najibullah Zadran was appointed as the vice-captain of the team. “All-rounder Rashid Khan has been appointed the T20I captain of Team Afghanistan. Meanwhile Najibullah Zadran has been appointed the National Team’s Vice-captain for the format,” Afghanistan Cricket Board said in a statement. “Rashid, one of the well-known global faces of the game , was selected by senior ACB leadership led by ACB Chairman Farhan Yousefzai, for the role considering his experience, brilliant performance as well as leadership skills with the National team over the years.” Rashid, the World No 2 ranked bowler in T20Is, had earlier declined Afghanistan’s T20I captaincy, saying that he believes he is more valuable as a player than as a leader. In 2019, the 22-year-old was named captain across format in July but was later replaced by Asghar Afghan in December following Afghanistan’s loss to West Indies in a one-off Test and ODI series. Afghanistan has been clubbed with England, India and South Africa in Group B for the T20 World Cup 2021. The remaining two teams will be chosen from the Qualifiers. The 2021 edition of the tournament was recently shifted to UAE from India due to the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic.