Rashid Khan -A Success Story from a War-Torned Country…..
There have been some players who have single handedly changed the cricketing scene and the overall reputation of their country. Take example of Shakib al-hasan, till the time he did not play for Bangladesh, the normal batting average of a Bangladeshi cricketer on an average would be 15.00 to 24.00, Any batsmen with an average of above 25 was considered to be a batting mainstay. Skipper Habibul Bashar led the Bangladesh side for almost a decade with his personal batting average of 22 to 24.00 runs per game.
The average career of a Bangladeshi cricketer would be on an average around 10tests and 70 to 80ODI’s but then came Shakib as he reinvented the entire cricketing scene, instilled strength in the Bangladesh side with a batting average of 40+ in in 51Tests and 35.00 in 185 ODI’s with close to 400 International wkts. Bangladesh started winning because of his performances and leadership skills, then came players like Mustafizur and Tamim Iqbal who also rose to the occasion making Bangladesh a respected cricket team in the world from nowhere.
Now the readers maybe wondering why a discussion on Bangladesh team is being carried out on a news article on Rashid Khan!? Well maybe, that’s a right question but it was merely to explain that the 20yr old Rashid Khan has brought the same impact for a country which was only known for terror attacks and war. In a span of 2-3yrs, Rashid Khan has made a considerable impact in giving his country a name and a belief that our country is just not known for bombs but passionate and talented cricketers like me!
Rashid Khan who made his debut representing Afghanistan at the age of 17 made waves with his bowling. In a career which is hardly into 3rd year of International Cricket, this little guy has bagged 100ODI wkts in mere 44ODI’s making him the fastest to reach 100 ODI wickets. His 7/18 against the windies became the 4th best bowling spell in ODI cricket while he has been a big force to reckon with in domestic T20 Tournaments in foreign countries where he has taken heaps of wickets. In 2017, he was also awarded the ICC Cricketer of the year.
Rashid who relies more on accuracy and speed in the air while delivering the ball like his idol Afridi also became the highest wicket taker this year with 21wkts so far which catapulated his team Sunrisers Hyderabad to the top of the table this year.
What’s more he is living up to the mark of his idol as he not only bowled well in the semis, he scored a breath taking 10ball 34* which had pure hitting in it. From that innings, if anything is to go by, he is definitely the next gen all-rounder to lookout for while he also received the praise from the lord of cricket Sachin as the best T20 Bowler in the world!
At present everything seems like a fairytale for this guy and he has already contributed a lot at the age of 20 to make his country proud. Now for many people around the world, Afghaistan won’t be remembered just for the bomb blasts and wars but a country known to produce talented cricketers like Rashid Khan!
TEAM SPORTSNASHA
Haineel Shah
