The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Tuesday (November 2) announced Sharafuddin Ashraf as a replacement for the recently-retired cricketer Asghar Afghan in the Afghanistan squad for the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2021's Event Technical Committee has approved Sharafuddin as a replacement for Afghan in the Afghanistan squad after concerns over the former captain’s mental well-being.
The 26-year-old all-rounder Ashraf has played 26 international matches so far, including 9 T20Is, and was one of the reserve payers as per the allowance for teams to travel with extra players in view of COVID-19 quarantine regulations for the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021.
In an unexpected move, the Afghan announced his decision to retire from all forms of cricket less than 24 hours after Afghanistan's heartbreaking loss to Pakistan in the tournament. He played his last game for Afghanistan against Namibia in Abu Dhabi at the T20 World Cup in 2021.
The ICC said in a statement: “All-rounder Sharafuddin, who has played 17 ODIs and nine T20Is, was approved as a replacement following concerns over Asghar’s mental wellbeing.”
The statement further reads, “Sharafudin was a reserve as per the allowance for teams to travel with extra players in view of COVID-19 quarantine requirements.”
Noteworthy, Afghanistan is currently ranked second in Group 2 with two wins after three matches in the Super 12 stage and will next take on India in the T20 World Cup 2021 on Wednesday, November 3.
(With Reuters Inputs)
