KABUL: Rashid Khan stepped down as Afghanistan’s Twenty20 international captain on Thursday, saying he was frustrated not to be consulted in the selection of the first national team to be named under the new Taliban regime.

The 22-year-old Rashid, appointed skipper in July, announced his resignation just minutes after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) named their 18-man squad for next month’s T20 World Cup.

Rashid, who also stepped down in 2019 after being captain for just three months, said he should have played a part in selecting the side.

“As the captain and responsible person for the nation, I reserved the right to be part of the selection of the team,” tweeted Rashid. “The selection committee and ACB have not obtained my consent for the team which has been announced by the ACB media.

“I am taking the decision of stepping down from the role as the captain of Afghanistan T20 side effective immediately. It’s always my pride playing for Afghanistan.”

Veteran wicket-keeper/batter Mohammad Shahzad, who has not played international cricket since the 2019 50-over World Cup, was recalled, as were experienced fast bowlers Dawlat Zadran and Hamid Hassan.

Media reports suggested that all-rounder Mohammad Nabi would take Rashid’s place as captain.

Squad: Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Karim Janat, Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib, Usman Ghani, Naveen-ul-Haq, Asghar Afghan, Hamid Hassan, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Najibullah Zadran, Dawlat Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Shapoor Zadran, Mohammad Shahzad, Qais Ahmad.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2021