Rashid says players being watched now for next year’s T20 World Cup

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan has said that his side has already set their sights on the next T20 World Cup, in 2024, and that the upcoming T20Is against Bangladesh are part of their “process”.

Speaking to journalists ahead of Friday’s T20I in Sylhet, Rashid said players are being looked at now with next year’s World Cup in mind.

“It’s just not that we are focusing on one series at a time, it’s just about focusing on how we gonna be in the next [T20] World Cup and that has been started now,” Rashid said.

“At the moment we had around 22 to 23 players in the group and we just mixed it up to see what is best for us as a team and we give the most opportunity to the guys and they can deliver. I feel like we have a good time but if we have a process to go through we gonna be well prepared for the World Cup,” he added.

Rashid also admitted that he doesn’t want his teammates to worry about the end result and just focus on the process every time. “For me, I don’t think about the result,” he said.

“And this is something which is very clear to the team. Don’t put that on your side to win the games. For me, the important thing is preparation and giving 100 percent on the ground whether that’s in bowling, batting and fielding,” he said.

Afghanistan take on Bangladesh in the first of two T20Is on Friday – with Rashid steering the team. The second of two T20Is will be played on Sunday – both in Sylhet.