Rashid ready to turn heads for Sussex as Afghans go from strength to strength
Teenage leg-spinner’s dizzy rise continues with launch of Vitality Blast season, says Nick Hoult
The latest stage in the uplifting story of Afghanistan cricket will begin against Essex at Chelmsford tonight, when Rashid Khan continues his “dream” rise in the game by making his debut for Sussex on the opening day of this year’s Vitality Blast.
He arrived in Hove yesterday morning to meet his new teammates and link up again with Jason Gillespie, the Sharks’ coach. Together, the pair won the Big Bash with the Adelaide Strikers in the winter and Gillespie was instrumental in bringing him to Sussex.
Gillespie is a hands-off coach, not a tinkerer, and he will allow Rashid to express himself on the south coast, knowing how dangerous he can be with his googly. Rashid was the joint-top wicket-taker in the Big Bash with 18 at 13.83 apiece and will win games for his new club, particularly if the hot, dry weather continues to bake pitches. Leg-spin is a hot property in Twenty20 and English batsmen do not have a great record playing it.
“Cricket is like a dream because everything has happened to me and Afghanistan in such a quick period of time,” Rashid told The Daily Telegraph. “I am quite happy with the way I have gone so far and I am trying my best to keep the consistency up. So far, everything in the league and international cricket is going for me, so I am just doing my best to work hard and keep it going.
“Back home in Afghanistan, they watch every match and whatever the time is they will be watching us. There will be good support from Afghanistan for Sussex.”
Rashid is an Indian Premier League millionaire. His £1million deal is bettered in English cricket only by Ben Stokes. His every move will be watched at home, where his parents originally wanted their intelligent, talented son to become a doctor. He was introduced to the game by his seven brothers, but they would let him field only on the boundary and not bat or bowl until it became obvious he had talent. He claims to have never been coached.
In his second season at the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rashid helped his side to the final and coach Muttiah Muralitharan, the legendary former spinner, conceded he was so good, there was nothing he could teach him. Sussex have signed a 19-year-old wise beyond his years.
“Murali told me that, skill-wise, I am high, so he did not want to change my leg-spin or action. He told me that, talent-wise, I am much further than him, but I needed to be mentally strong. It was something very special hearing this from the legend who took 800 Test wickets. It was very special for me, and motivated me as well.”
Rashid dedicated an IPL man-of-the-match award to the victims of a bomb blast at a cricket match in his home town of Jalalabad during Ramadan in May, a reminder of the obstacles he has faced to reach the top of the game. He is not alone. Mohammad Nabi, a former captain of Afghanistan, will play for Leicestershire in the Vitality Blast and Hampshire have signed Mujeeb Ur Rahman, another teenage leggie who had a great IPL. Ur Rahman hails from Kosht, which has been a hotbed of insurgent activity but also a home for the cricket boom due to its proximity to Pakistan.
Andy Moles, the former Warwickshire player, coached Afghanistan at the 2015 World Cup and now works with the under-19 and under-23 teams. He spends four months of the year in Afghanistan and arrived on Monday to continue his work. He believes there is a lot more talent to break through over the next few years.
“The Afghan story has been fantastic. There are plenty more players coming through, I can assure you,” he said.
“There is much more to come. They have a difficult climate, not in terms of weather but in what is happening in the country, so it is an amazing achievement that they have produced players with the facilities they have compared to the ones we get in, shall we say, First-world countries. They turn out players so hungry to do well, and it is very exciting.
“Mujeeb comes from an underprivileged background. He lives with his mother, brothers and sisters. The IPL was lifechanging money for him. He can look after his family now.” Rashid’s Test debut last month was bruising. Afghanistan lost to India inside two days by an innings and 262 runs, the heaviest defeat by a nation in its first Test. Rashid took two for 154.
“It was very tough to play a first Test against India in India. We learnt lots,” he said. “In the first two sessions, when we bowled, we were attacking and did not have in our mind to be defensive.” Twenty20 is different. Rashid and Afghanistan know what they are doing in this format, and the counties have woken up to what they can offer.