London, England – Rashid khan continues to cement his legacy as a T20 cricket icon, demonstrating strong form in The Hundred for the Oval Invincibles following a recent string of dominant performances across multiple leagues. The Afghan leg-spinner is currently competing in the 2024 edition of The Hundred, aiming for a third consecutive title with the Invincibles.
A recent break for competitive cricket saw Rashid captain speen Ghar Tigers in Afghanistan’s Shpageeza Cricket League, where he recorded notable figures of 4 for 19, including a crucial three-wicket over in their final match. This performance followed his participation in the SA20 league in South Africa, playing for MI Cape Town, where he surpassed dwayne Bravo’s long-held record to become the all-time leading wicket-taker in all T20 cricket. as of February 2024,Rashid boasts over 650 T20 wickets,trailing only retired New Zealand bowler Tim Southee by three wickets in the T20 International format.
Rashid’s consistent excellence has earned him widespread recognition. He was recently named by ESPNcricinfo as one of the 25 greatest T20 Players of all time, a distinction he acknowledged with pride, equating its significance to being awarded the ICC’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade (2011-20) despite a relatively shorter period of international play – just four years within that decade. “People don’t just give it to you. It means like you have done something special, [and] you have done something amazing – and at different stages, in different countries. And that’s how you get that kind of gratitude. So it gives me so much energy, [and] it gives me so much positivity, and that for me is more crucial.And it does allow you to work harder, and to be number one again,” Rashid stated.
Beyond his on-field achievements, Rashid has recently joined Red Bull’s athlete roster, becoming the first Afghan cricketer to be sponsored by the energy drink company.He joins fellow cricketers Ben Stokes (England),KL Rahul (India),Kagiso Rabada (South Africa),and Riyan Parag (India) as Red Bull athletes. Rashid expressed his excitement about the partnership and plans to visit the red Bull performance center in Salzburg, Austria, later this year to leverage their athletic training resources.
Rashid Khan’s career statistics as of August 10, 2024, include 678 wickets in 332 T20 matches, with an economy rate of 6.34. He has represented numerous franchises globally, including Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier league, and Lahore qalandars in the Pakistan Super league. His impact extends beyond statistics, as he is widely regarded as a key figure in promoting cricket within Afghanistan.
Stats inputs by Sampath Bandarupalli
