Asadullah Khan, a familiar face in Afghanistan cricket, has made a return to the team as the chief selector. After a stint as the head coach in Qatar, Khan will now be based in Kabul and take over the responsibilities from Noorulhaq Malikzai, who stepped down from the role but will continue to contribute as a committee member.
Expressing his gratitude for serving as the head of the selection committee, Malikzai explained that personal and family commitments prevented him from continuing in the significant position. However, he expressed his desire to remain associated with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) as a committee member and pledged his full cooperation to Khan and the board.
Khan will lead a four-man selection panel, comprising Malikzai, Mir Mubariz, and Ahmad Shah as supporting selectors. Taj Malik Alam and Mohammad Khan Zadran will continue in their roles as domestic selectors. Accepting the responsibility, Khan stated in a statement that he felt honored to head the selection committee. He highlighted his previous experience with the ACB and expressed his commitment to identifying talented players and providing them with opportunities to represent Afghanistan and achieve success at the international level.
Khan’s return follows his departure from the same position earlier, citing interference and interruption from individuals without cricket expertise within the board. He had also served as the acting CEO briefly in 2019 and had been actively involved in the domestic set-up as a coach and video analyst.
The Afghanistan team is currently in Bangladesh for an all-format series, which includes a Test match. They have a busy home season ahead, hosting Zimbabwe, India, and Pakistan, along with participating in the Asia Cup and the World Cup this year. With Khan back as the chief selector, Afghanistan aims to strengthen their squad and make an impact on the global cricket stage.
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World Cup 2023 Qualifiers Squads for All Teams
