Rashid Khan
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Rashid Khan: Afghani magician could light up World Cup

Mustafa Ismail·
One Day International (ODI)
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Rashid Khan continues to excel as a bowler, and his form could propel Afghanistan to new heights at the 2019 World Cup…

At the unseasoned age of 18, a young Afghani leg spinner was scouted by Tom Moody and the SunRisers Hyderabad management. This boy was Rashid Khan. Ever since his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut in 2017, he’s bamboozled batsmen all over the world with his sensational bowling.

The difference between Rashid Khan and any other wrist spinner is that he’s got a quick-arm action, which leaves batsmen with less time to react. The number of variations he possesses are also second to none. At the start of his career, Rashid might have been successful because he was a mystery and not many had played him before, but he’s now been in the business for two years. The best batsmen in world cricket still can’t pick him.

Take the current IPL season as an example. Rashid has been up against some of the best players of spin in Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and AB de Villiers just to name a few – but he’s managed to outfox them with his trickery. This season in particular, teams have been extra cautious against Rashid and that’s made evident by his economy rate of 5.61 in 9 matches. Numbers like that are simply unheard of in T20 cricket. The fact that he’s still picking up a wicket in every game despite this defensive approach illustrates the calibre and quality of the young man.

Rashid has played in T20 leagues around the world, and he’s adapted admirably to all conditions. Be it in Australia, England or India, he’s been a handful for batsmen. He’s stated that he has six or seven variations right now and has worked on expanding his arsenal over time. This is what separates him from the rest. He keeps himself unpredictable and adds new dimensions to his bowling.

As one of the Afghanistan’s biggest stars, he’s been a crucial part of their World Cup qualification journey. His numbers for the national side are just as outstanding as his T20 numbers. In ODI’s, he already has 123 wickets in 56 matches with a staggering economy rate of 3.91. Yes, he’s played plenty of games against weaker opposition like Ireland and Zimbabwe – but as we saw in the Asia Cup, he troubled all the South Asian giants as well.

Afghanistan could cause a few upsets in the upcoming World Cup. If Rashid Khan is on song along with the likes of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi, they can compete with any team in the tournament. Either way, it’ll provide a great learning curve for Afghanistan and Rashid himself, who’ll be playing his first World Cup at the age of 20. Expect fireworks from the spin sensation and stay on the lookout for his handiness with the bat or agility in the field. Opposition team beware.