Mohammad Nabi has stepped down from T20I captaincy following Afghanistan’s ouster from the 2022 T20 World Cup. In the resignation letter he shared on social media, he mentioned to have not been on the same page as the team management and selection committee.
Nabi was appointed T20I captain following Rashid Khan’s resignation in 2021. He led 23 times since then, of which Afghanistan won 10 matches. His first assignment after being named full-time skipper was the 2021 T20 World Cup, where Afghanistan finished fourth in their Super 12 group, winning two of five games.
However, Afghanistan failed to win a single game in this year’s edition, losing to Australia by four runs in their last game of the campaign. Following that, Nabi announced his resignation from the leadership post.
Nabi’s resignation letter ran: “Our T20 World Cup journey came to an end, with a result that not us nor our supporters were expecting. We are as frustrated as you are with the outcome of matches. From the last one year, our team preparation was not at a level that a captain would want it or needed for a big tournament. Moreover, in some of the last tours the team management, selection committee and I were not on the same page which had implications on the team balance.
“Therefore, with due respect, effective immediately announce to STEP DOWN as a CAPTAIN & will continue to play for my country when the management & team need me. I thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart who came to the grounds despite matches being affected by the rain and those who supported us worldwide, your love truly means a lot to us. Long live Afghanistan.”
— Mohammad Nabi (@MohammadNabi007) November 4, 2022
The Afghan captaincy mantle has passed between a number of players over the last few years after Asghar Afghan was sacked in 2019. Rahmat Shah, Gulbadin Naib, and Rashid were named the Test, ODI, and T20I captains respectively.
Rashid stepped down as T20I captain after just three months. Afghan was reinstated in all three formats, only to be removed again last May, as Rashid stepped in as T20I captain again. Rashid stepped down immediately after the Afghanistan Cricket Board announced their squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup (“the selection committee and ACB has not obtained my consent for the team which has been announced by ACB media”).
Nabi replaced Rashid, but similar issues have seemingly affected Afghanistan cricket again.
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