Spin wizard Rashid gets Jumbo praise
He ‘s 19 and from a country at war for decades, but Rashid Khan of Afghanistan is the toast of the cricket world with his leg-spin wizardry. From Thursday, the world’s top-ranked T20 bowler will be in action as Afghanistan play their first ever Test match, the gruelling five-day format beloved of purists against the mighty India in Bangalore.
Former India captain and leg-spinner Anil Kumble was full of praise for the 19-year-old and 17year-old team-mate Mujeeb ur Rahman.
“It’ fantastic to see two young Afghaninstan spinners bamboozle world’s best batsman,”Kumble, the third-highest wicket-taker of all time and now a commentator, said.
Both Rashid and Mujeeb are extremely talented and if they get it right they are certainly capable of testing … Indian or any batsman, the former leg-spinner added.
The duo have become a potent weapon for Afghanistan with Mohammad Nabi adding edge to a spin-heavy squad picked for their historic Test against India this week.
Last week they completed an impressive 3-0 ODI whitewash over Bangladesh. However, Kumble said switching from T20 to the five-day format would be a challenge for the teenagers.
“It will be interesting to see how they go because bowling to get wickets in a Test match is totally different,” Kumble said.
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