Rashid Khan steps down as Afghanistan captain, hours after named skipper for T20 WC
Kabul, Sep 9: In a shocking decision, Rashid Khan on Thursday stepped down as the captain of the Afghanistan team, saying that his opinion was not sought before finalising the national squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Early in the day, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) named Rashid as the captain while veteran wicket-keeper Mohammad Shahzad was also included in the 15-member squad for the showpiece event, starting next month.
"As the captain and responsible person for the nation I reserve the right to be part of the selection of the team," the 22-year-old spinner said in a post shared on his twitter handle.
"The selection committee and ACB has not obtained my consent for the team which has been announced by ACB media
"I am taking the decision of stepping down from the role as the captain of Afghanistan T20 side effective immediately. It's always my proud playing for Afghanistan."
Afghanistan has been in turmoil following the take over of the country by Taliban.
The star leg-spinner was named as T20 captain in July with the World Cup in mind.
Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday made it clear that it will not host the Afghanistan men's team next month if women are not allowed to play the game under Taliban rule.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in the UAE from October 17 to November 14.
🙏🇦🇫 pic.twitter.com/zd9qz8Jiu0
— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) September 9, 2021
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
