After Afghanistan Cricket Board, announced their squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, Rashid Khan resigned as captain, claiming that "the selection committee and ACB have not obtained my consent for the team which has been announced by ACB media." The team will now be led by allrounder Mohammad Nabi, according to reports.

Afghanistan's T20 World Cup squad included several players who had performed well in the past but had not been part of the national team in recent years. This included Mohammad Shahzad, who was suspended for a year in late 2019 but is now eligible to play again as of August 2020. Shapoor Zadran and Dawlat Zadran, the pace duo, were also chosen.

Shapoor last played a Twenty20 International for Afghanistan in March 2020, while Dawlat last did so in September 2019. Hamid Hassan, who hasn't played a T20I for Afghanistan since March 2016, was also included in the squad.

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Surprisingly, the squad released had 18 players, with only two designated as reserves. According to ICC rules, each team must name a squad of 15 players, with the option of naming reserve players. As part of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ICC increased the squad size of teams for ICC events from 23 to 30, including support staff, in April 2021.

Afghanistan's squad will most likely change as a result of Rashid's resignation as captain and the number of players named exceeding the 15-man limit.

ACB Squad:

Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Karim Janat, Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib, Usman Ghani, Naveen ul Haq, Asghar Afghan, Hamid Hassan, Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Najibullah Zadran, Dawlat Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Shapoor Zadran, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Qais Ahmad
Reserves: Afsar Zazai, Fareed Ahmad