Rashid Khan named Afghanistan captain following World Cup exit

Former captain Asghar Afghan has been appointed as his deputy

Rashid Khan has been appointed as Afghanistan's captain across all three formats following Afghanistan's World Cup exit.

He will be assisted by Asghar Afghan, who was the side's captain until the months before the World Cup began. The decision to replace Afghan came out of the blue, with senior players criticising the call almost immediately.

His replacement as captain in the ODI format came in the shape of allrounder Gulbadin Naib, who led Afghanistan at the 10-team tournament. However, his side went winless and Naib endured a difficult competition both with bat and ball, as well as in the role of captain.

His over towards the end of his country's game against Pakistan in a match that Afghanistan looked set to win became an infamous moment, with 18 runs plundered from it as Pakistan clinched victory in the final over.

Gulbadin's place in Afghanistan's team was also the subject of some conjecture; he began the tournament in the lower middle order, before ending it as an opener, while his bowling often proved expensive. Afghan ultimately played six times in the World Cup, having been left out of the first three games due to a hamstring complaint.

Rahmat Shah had initially been appointed as Afghanistan's new Test captain following Afghan's abrupt sacking before the World Cup, with Rashid taking over as T20 skipper.

When the call was made to replace Afghan as the team's captain in April, Rashid tweeted his frustration. He wrote: "With all the respect to the Selection Committee, I strongly disagree with the decision as it is irresponsible and bias[ed]. As we have @cricketworldcup in front of us, captain #MAsgharAfghan should remain as our team captain. His captaincy is highly instrumental for team success."

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