Nabi blames dismal World Cup campaign on captaincy change

I and Asghar support Rashid as captain: Nabi © Getty

Mohammad Nabi has criticized the Afghanistan Cricket Board for naming Gulbadin Naib as the skipper just before the World Cup, adding that he believed making Rashid Khan as their skipper across formats is the perfect move with an eye on the future.

"Before the World Cup we changed the old captain and that was the main thing why we couldn't play well as a team. That captain never captained in his life. That's why we didn't do that well in the World Cup, and even though we had good games against India, Pakistan and West Indies, we lost those matches," Nabi said in Chattogram, after Afghanistan's historic Test win over Bangladesh.

Afghanistan had a dismal outing at the World Cup, where the chaotic internal dynamics reflected in bland performances off the field. In their nine games during the tournament in England and Wales, Afghanistan couldn't win one.

"It's all about the team combination. Before the World Cup, the board members changed the old captain and the combination didn't work in the World Cup," Nabi said. "Here with Rashid Khan as captain, he has the ability to lead the team. Besides that, me and Asghar (Afghan) support him a lot."

"But now it's totally changed. We have given chances to our young players. There are many young players for T20s and in this Test we debuted three young players. This is the main thing we are focusing on and we have put up a young captain. He is the number one bowler in the world as well."

Though Nabi has retired from Test cricket, he will continue to be a vital cog in the wheel for Afghanistan in white-ball cricket.