News

RASHID KHAN PAYS TRIBUTE TO BETWAY SA20 HELPING AFGHANISTAN CRICKET GROW

20 Feb 20254 mins

The Proteas and Afghanistan go head-to-head in a crucial ICC Champions Trophy clash in Karachi on Friday.

The two sides have met regularly in white-ball cricket the past 18 months with the Proteas holding sway at both the ICC World Cup in India in 2023 and in last year’s ICC T20 World Cup semi-final in Torouba, Trinidad.

However, the Afghans showed how dangerous they can be in similar conditions in Sharjah last year to what will be expected in Pakistan with a historic maiden 2-1 ODI series over the Proteas.

Furthermore, the Afghanistan players have familiarised themselves with the South Africans with many playing prominent roles for their respective franchises this past Betway SA20 Season 3.

Superstar Rashid Khan completed the ultimate redemption to lead MI Cape Town to first-ever Betway SA20 championship title after two disappointing seasons for the franchise.

Rashid had his compatriots Azmatullah Omarzai, who is the current ICC ODI Player of the Year, and young stylish top-order batter Sediqullah Atal for company at Newlands.

Afghanistan’s traditional strength has been their ability to produce mystery spinners that turn the ball both ways.

Rashid has always led from the front, but he is now supported by a host of spinners in Paarl Royals’ Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Durban Super Giants’ Noor Ahmad.

Both Mujeeb (14 wickets, economy 6.77) and Noor (13 wickets, economy 6.90) were prolific for the Royals and Super Giants respectively this past season.

Such is Afghanistan’s riches in the spin department that they can afford to leave Mujeeb out of their 15-man ICC Champions Trophy squad, along with Durban’s Super Giants seam bowler Naveen-ul-Haq.

But dashing Pretoria Capitals’ opening batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz will certainly be there ready to front up to the Proteas along with his Capitals head coach Jonathan Trott, who doubles up as Afghanistan coach.

Rashid certainly feels the Betway SA20 experience will provide Afghanistan with an edge in their Group B opener.

“Afghanistan cricket has definitely benefited from us joining all the leagues,” Rashid said.

“The way we have done in the last two World Cups, both in India, and the T20 World Cup where we got to the semi-final. Ten years before I don’t think anyone would have thought Afghanistan would have got to the semifinal. But that is the kind of opportunity we get in these leagues.

“Azmatullah, Gurbaz, and then there are also the young players like Noor, Naveen, all participating in these big leagues. The opportunities they can share the ground with big names.

“In Afghanistan, we hardly get the opportunity to play with superstars. We don’t have our own league where you can go play with them.

“Here you get the opportunity to share the dressingroom with superstars for a month. That’s how your cricket grows. I feel like that really helped Afghanistan cricket.

“We are not in the position anymore where we can just go and participate in the ICC tournaments. There is expectation. And that expectation came from playing in the Leagues.”

Match starts at 11am (SA time).

Full Afghanistan squad

Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Pretoria Capitals), Sediqullah Atal (MI Cape Town), Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai (MI Cape Town), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (MI Cape Town), Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad (Durban’s Super Giants), Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran.

Coach: Jonathan Trott (Pretoria Capitals - below)