Taliban name Naseeb Khan as new Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO; has 'knowledge of game'

In the latest development, the Taliban government has named Naseeb Khan as the Afghanistan Cricket Board's new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on Monday. The announcement was made by ACB chairman Azizullah Fazil who claimed that the new CEO had a master's degree as well as possessed knowledge about the sport. Earlier in August following the Taliban takeover, Azizullah Fazli was named the cricket board's chairman and was named in-charge of overseeing ACB's leadership as well as monitoring the course of action for upcoming competitions. 

Afghanistan's future in cricket has been clouded ever since the country fell into the hands of the Taliban on August 15 after former president Abdul Ghani fled the country. Despite the Board's chairman assuring that the Taliban 'loved the sport' and that there was no threat to the game, plenty of aspersions have been cast at the country's future especially with the T20 World cup set to be played in UAE & Oman in October followed by the one-off historic Test against Australia later this year. 

Taliban reconsidering ban on women in sports

Noting the Taliban's initial decision to ban women from sports, Cricket Australia had issued a statement condemning the move and had threatened to call off the historic one-off Test in protest against the terrorist group's regressive policies. Following the threat, Azizullah Fazli, during a conversation with SBS Radio Pashto, had outlined that the board was finding out ways on 'how they would allow women to play cricket'. 

“We will give you our clear position on how we will allow women to play cricket.  Very soon, we will give you good news on how we will proceed. The women cricket coach Diana Barakzai and her players are all safe and living in their home country. Many countries have asked them to leave Afghanistan, but they have not left Afghanistan, and at the moment, they are in their places. We request, Cricket Australia that they shouldn't delay the historic cricket match between Afghanistan and Australia taking place,” said Azizullah Fazli. 

Rashid Khan steps down as Afghanistan skipper

It is also pertinent to point out that star Afghanistan cricketer Rashid Khan announced his decision to step down as the side's captain moments after the Taliban announced the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Citing ACB's failure to obtain consent from him before selecting the team for the marquee tournament, Rashid Khan had said that he reserved the right to be a part of the selection of the team and announced his decision to step down with immediate effect. Mohammad Nabi will lead Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup in Rashid Khan's absence at UAE and Oman.