"I am afraid captaincy might affect my performance" - Rashid Khan not willing to become skipper again
Rashid Khan has clarified that he does not wish to become the Afghanistan cricket team's captain again. Fans expected the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) to assign a leadership role to Khan when they sacked Asghar Afghan.
However, the ACB has named Hashmatullah Shahidi as the new Test and ODI captain, with Rahmat Shah being his deputy. The ACB also announced Rashid Khan as the new vice-captain of the Afghanistan T20I side. The board has not finalized which player will be the captain in the shortest format of the game.
In an interview with ESPNCricinfo on Thursday (June 3), Rashid Khan spoke about the current situation in Afghanistan cricket. He made it clear that with the World Cup on the team's mind, Khan simply could not let captaincy responsibilities affect his performance.
"I want to do well for the team as a player and my performance is a bit more crucial for the team rather than me thinking about different things being a captain. Also, it takes time, and right now the most important thing is the World Cup which is quite near and I feel it is too much for me to have.
"I am afraid it might affect my performance for the team, which is a key, so I am very happy as a player. Whatever decision the board and selection committee make, I am fully behind it and will appreciate it," said Rashid Khan.
Rashid Khan's captaincy record
Rashid Khan does not have a great record as the captain. He led Afghanistan seven times in ODI cricket, but his team could emerge victorious only once. In Test cricket, Afghanistan won one and lost one under Khan's leadership.
Speaking of his record in T20Is, Rashid won four and lost three as Afghanistan's skipper. His individual performances were average when he captained Afghanistan in the T20Is. Hence, it would be good if Rashid continues to play international cricket without the pressure of captaincy.
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