Captaincy change was the main thing why we couldn’t play well in World Cup, says Mohammad Nabi

Afghanistan star Mohammad Nabi has criticized Afghanistan Cricket Board’s (ACB) decision to change the captain ahead of the World Cup. Just days ahead of the mega-event in England, ACB dropped a bombshell by sacking inspirational skipper Asghar Afghan to appoint Gulbadin Naib as the skipper. The move backfired completely as Afghanistan had a disastrous campaign in the UK.

Despite being backed by many to go the distance in the tournament, Afghanistan ended the tournament as the bottom-placed side. They were the only team who could not win a single game in the competition. The Naib-led side did give a scare to the likes of India and Pakistan but could not deliver the killer blow. Soon after the World Cup debacle, ACB realized their mistake and sacked Naib. The ACB then named Rashid Khan as their skipper across formats, much to the delight of Mohammad Nabi.

The veteran all-rounder said that the change in captaincy was the main reason behind Afghanistan’s poor display at the World Cup. He said that the new combination just did not work out for the team. Nabi also backed Rashid to do well as captain.

“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 as quoted by Cricbuzz in Chattogram, after Afghanistan’s historic Test win over Bangladesh.

“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. Here with Rashid Khan as captain, he has the ability to lead the team. Besides that, me and Asghar (Afghan) support him a lot,” he added.

Nabi, meanwhile, has retired from Test after the game against Bangladesh. However, he will continue to ply his trade for his nation in white-ball format.

Afghanistan thrash Bangladesh:

Afghanistan, on Monday, thrashed Bangladesh by 224 runs to win the first-ever Test between the two countries. Skipper Rashid Khan, who had scored a rapid fifty and picked a five-fer in the first innings, was the main man again as he picked up six wickets in the second innings including three of the last four wickets to seal the game for his side. Chasing an improbable 397, Bangladesh were all out for just 173.

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