Mohammad Nabi quits as Afghanistan skipper after winless T20 World Cup exit
Adelaide, Nov 4: Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi on Friday stepped down from his position with immediate effect, following the side's debacle in the T20 World Cup where they failed to win a single match.
Nabi though cited his disappointment with the team's preparation for the showpiece and disagreements with the management and selection committee for quitting captaincy.
Shortly after the team ended their campaign at the T20 World Cup with a narrow four-run loss against Australia here, the 37-year-old took to social media to announce his decision.
"Our T20 World Cup journey came to an end, with a result that not us nor our supporters were expecting. We are as frustrated as you are with the outcome of matches," the spin allrounder wrote in a statement shared on his Twitter account.
Following their loss to Australia, Afghanistan became the only team to stay winless in the tournament with three defeats and two no-results. They finished at the bottom of Super 12 Group I with two points.
"From the last one year, our team preparation was not to a level that a captain would want it or needed for a big tournament," he wrote.
"Moreover, in some of the last tours the team management, selection committee and I were not on the same page which had implications on the team balance.
"Therefore, with due respect, effectively immediately I announce to STEP DOWN as a CAPTAIN & will continue to play for my country when the management & team need me."
Nabi, who had taken over the captaincy just before the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year after Rashid Khan's resignation, thanked his supporters.
"I thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart who came to the grounds despite matches being affected by the rain and those who supporters us worldwide, your love truly means a lot to us. Long live Afghanistan."
Nabi, who was earlier named captain in 2010, led Afghanistan in 23 games in his latest stint with the team winning 10 and losing 13 matches.
Afghanistan's most capped player, Nabi, has played three Tests, 133 ODIs and 104 T20Is, scoring a total of 4362 runs and snapping 234 wickets.
— Mohammad Nabi (@MohammadNabi007) November 4, 2022
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Fake call centre duping foreigners busted in Thane; five detained
Thane (PTI): The Thane police have unearthed a bogus call centre that allegedly cheated foreign nationals, particularly US citizens, under the pretext of selling software, an official said on Wednesday.
Five persons, including the call centre owner, were detained after a raid at the premises in the Ambernath area of Maharashtra's Thane district late Tuesday night, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ambernath division) Shailesh Kale told PTI.
The bogus facility was operating from a business centre and functioned under the garb of providing software services, the official said.
"The call centre staff targeted foreign nationals, especially Americans. They contacted them on the phone, lured them with offers of software services and extracted money from them in different forms," Kale said.
The police received a tip-off about the illegal operations and raided the premises. The search operation continued till Wednesday morning, he said.
The employees used to make hundreds of calls to foreign nationals daily and would eventually succeed in duping a few of them, Senior Police Inspector Shabbir Sayyed said.
"They collected advance payments from the victims and blocked them after receiving the money," he said, explaining the modus operandi.
The employees were provided with a specific script for conversations to gain the victims' confidence and persuade them to transfer funds, he added.
The police have seized electronic gadgets and other accessories used in the alleged racket from the premises.
A case has been registered against five persons under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act and the Indian Telegraph Act, Kale said.
The police were verifying the victims' credentials and nationality.
