In the lead-up to the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s premier leg-spinner, took to the social media platform ‘X,’ formerly known as Twitter, to voice his concerns over ‘past compromises’ in team selection made during the tenure of former Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) Chief Executive Shafiq Stanikzai.
Rashid Khan also called upon Stanikzai to refrain from spreading false information about the team. He expressed his belief that Afghanistan possesses its fittest squad to date for the forthcoming ODI World Cup, scheduled to take place in India from October 5 to November 19.
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“I believe we can deliver our best performance this time. Many compromises were made during your management @ShafiqStanikzai in the past while selecting teams for the World Cups, which has cost our nation crucial games,” Rashid Khan stated in his social media post.
Shafiq Stanikzai
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Shafiq Stanikzai, who served as the ACB Chief Executive from 2014 to 2019 and also founded the ‘Afghanistan Premier League,’ responded to Rashid Khan’s comments. He expressed bewilderment at Rashid’s claims and reminded him of his past tweets where Rashid had lauded Stanikzai’s contributions to the ACB after his tenure.
Stanikzai listed several achievements from his tenure with the ACB, including meticulously crafting the team for the 2016 T20 World Cup, nurturing the U19 team that clinched the Asia Cup and reached the World Cup semi-finals, and facilitating the success of Afghan players in test cricket. He also highlighted his role in securing IPL selections for Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi without prior exposure, as well as the development of 14 standard cricket stadiums in Afghanistan.
Stanikzai concluded his response by emphasizing that he had never criticized Rashid Khan or the Afghan cricket team. He recalled a previous phone conversation with Rashid, where they discussed their mutual admiration and concerns with the current cricket system. Stanikzai assured Rashid of his continued support and admiration for him and the entire team.
Afghanistan is set to commence its 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup campaign against Bangladesh at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on October 7.
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