On birthday, Rashid lifts Afghanistan to comprehensive win
56.97 46.97 46.22 41.36 39.10 36.24 35.89 31.05 29.21 Matches Runs Avg 49.27 42.11 40.00 34.72 33.83 32.83 31.30 30.54 27.07
New Zealand England South Africa Sri Lanka Bangladesh Pakistan India Australia West Indies Since 2015 World Cup Pakistan England Bangladesh South Africa Sri Lanka India Australia West Indies New Zealand : Afghanistan spin sensation Rashid Khan bid farewell to his teenage years with an exemplary all-round performance to help his side thrash Bangladesh in their Asia Cup clash in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Rashid smashed an unbeaten 57 off 32 deliveries, in a knock that included eight fours and a six, to lift Afghanistan to 255 for seven and then returned to torment Bangladesh with the ball in a man of the match display in the 136-run victory.
Celebrating his 20th birthday, he could do little wrong, finishing with figures of 2-13 in nine overs and also effecting a run out with a direct hit.
“It was a special day for me and I am really happy for my performance. The best thing is I contributed in batting, bowling and fielding,” Rashid said when collecting his award at the post-match presentation.
“That’s what we work so hard for. We will do our best to continue this form.”
Rashid has made rapid strides since his international debut as a 17-year-old in October 2015, and in February he became the youngest player to top the ICC bowler rankings in both white-ball formats. His stock as a batsman is also on the rise as he completed his third one-day international half-century on Thursday.
“I wanted to bat until the end whatever the total we get,” he said, having added 95 for the unbroken eighth wicket with Gulbadin Naib, who scored 42 off 38 balls. “I wanted to focus on every ball and finish the innings.” Rashid has played a major role in Afghanistan’s journey to becoming a Test-playing nation.
Brief scores: Afghanistan 255/7 in 50 overs (H Shahidi 58, G Naib 42, R Khan 57*, Shahkib 4-42, Hider 2-50) bt Bangladesh 119 all out in 42.1 overs (Shakib 32, M Hossain 26, Mujeeb 2-22, R Khan 2-13) by 136 runs
NO.OF PLAYERS DUBAI