Rashid and Nabi have done brilliantly, says Muralitharan
There is always the fear of failure while stepping into the unknown. That’s just human nature. But signs of any such fear have been few and far, if any at all, from the Afghanistan duo Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi.
While the experienced Nabi has found his chances difficult to come by, Rashid has taken to the IPL like duck to water with 10 wickets from seven matches.
With a proven record backing their credentials, for those willing to look that is, their performance has come as no surprise to Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan.
“They’re very good. They haven’t played with a lot of experienced players; they will learn. At the moment, both have done brilliantly,” said the legendary Sri Lankan. “They have delivered more than what we expected. So we’re very satisfied.” When asked the reason why the franchise decided to go for the duo, the former spinner remarked: “As a franchise, we thought it was not about how the country played in international cricket. Because these two players have played in various leagues — BPL, PSL — and done really well,” he started.
“This will give a huge boost to their national team because coming from a non-Test country and playing in the IPL, the biggest T20 tournament in the world...that means there are capable players in their country. The only thing is to get the infrastructure right and boost them. The Afghans will take this experience into their international game,” he stated.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Ben Cutting was also full of praise for the duo.
“I think it has certainly brought us all together. Having Rashid and Nabi – I know Mo hasn’t played as many games as he would have liked or I would have liked to see him play – but hopefully he will get his opportunity. He is my new favourite player in world cricket,” stressed the Aussie.