Last month, Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan enjoyed 12 rare days of cricket in Kabul. The leg-spinner was part of the 12-day Shpageeza Cricket League held at the Alokozay stadium in late July. So rare has he played at home that only 22 of his 483 T20 appearances have arrived on home soil. He has donned the Afghanistan stripes in 216 games across formats, but not once on home soil.
Hence, he cherished the rare home games. “We hardly play any games at home so to go there and see the happiness on their faces is great. It’s massive for the young generation to see their players on the ground. They always watch on TV,” he told The Times.
The stands were packed, overwhelming Rashid. “They were big, they’re always big, they love watching us play. The capacity [of the stadium] was not that big, but outside there were double or triple the number of people waiting. I was there for a week and there wasn’t a day when there weren’t people everywhere you go. They want pictures, they want selfies. The love you get is unbelievable,” he said.
His countrymen’s love for him keeps him going, he said. “When you see the people back home in Afghanistan and the love they have for this game, that just keeps me going. I have to give them that happiness when we win. When I played the other day [at Lord’s], they all celebrated. They were cheering for me. It’s the only source of happiness., That’s something which keeps me going, keeps me motivated, keeps me full of energy. I want to deliver something special for my team and the people,” he said.
He also expressed his desire to play a Test at Lord’s. “To play Test cricket against England at Lord’s is more than a dream. It would be the same feeling as winning a World Cup. Everyone wants to play Test cricket there.”
However, doctors have advised him to abstain from Test cricket, as his shoulders could creak. He once admitted that he felt the effects of bowling more than 50 overs when taking 11 wickets to help defeat Zimbabwe in January. “It’s a big decision for me, how much Test cricket I should play. It’s not that I don’t like the format, it’s my body condition. When I was younger I had no issues. Now I have to be selective,” he said, stressing that he would reduce the volume of franchise cricket and not compromise his national duties to manage workload.
He was all praise for coach Jonathan Trott, under whose guidance Afghanistan reached the last four of the T20 World Cup last year. “He has done so much for the cricket of Afghanistan. He has brought the team together regardless of many issues. He kept everyone cool and together and a lot of credit goes to him for his hard work and dedication. We were talented but we needed someone like him to guide us in the right way,” he said.
