Lately, Rashid Khan has been facing the brunt of Afghanistan's poor displays in the ongoing Cricket World Cup. The 20-year-old became the most expensive bowler in this tournament's history during his side's loss to England, at Old Trafford on June 18. In his latest interview with PTI, the world's No.3 ODI bowler has stated that he plays for Afghanistan; not for his country's board (Afghanistan Cricket Board, ACB) or captain Gulbadin Naib.
Against the hosts, Khan faced the likes of Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root on a flat pitch, who smashed his deliveries. Khan conceded 110 runs off nine overs. Meanwhile, England hammered a score of 397 for six, after electing to bat. The hosts won by 150 runs. He broker New Zealand's Martin Snedden's record, who conceded 105 runs for two wickets. Even Snedden's ill-fated day was against England in this competition's 1983 edition.
Afghanistan have lost all their WC matches (played five). Therefore it is pretty natural for conspiracy theories to float out from their camp. One such conspiracy theory is that Rashid doesn't enjoy a good relationship with skipper Gulbadin. According to reports, Khan and Mohammed Nabi didn't like it when Gulbadin replaced Asghar Afghan as captain for the global showpiece event in England and Wales. Also apparently, their reservations regarding Naib wasn't received well by the ACB.
The right-arm leg break bowler revealed that there is no problem between him and Gulbadin. He further went on to state that Naib has the same amount of support as it was for Asghar. "If I supported Asghar 50 per cent on the field, Gulbadin has my 100 per cent support," Rashid told PTI, ahead of his side's clash against India.
Rashid credits the media for blowing such things out of proportion. To justify himself, he said, "Some of us have been playing together for 15-16 years. So if nothing has happened in more than decade, then what can suddenly change in a day or two."
When asked about the captaincy change, Khan quipped, "Neither do I play for Gulbadin nor for the cricket board. I play for the flag, for Afghanistan. I know what my job is and I will continue doing that."
Regarding his and Nabi's displeasure of Naib replacing Asghar, Khan said, "That tweet by me or Nabi, wasn't in support of Asghar. We raised our voice for the betterment of Afghanistan cricket. Had someone else been appointed captain, my stand wouldn't have changed. That wasn't the right time to change the captain. I have nothing personal in supporting Asghar. I am not the only person who's saying that. The whole world is saying that."
Explaining his viewpoint, Rashid stated that the World Cup is a mega event, and it's not like the Asia Cup, where you can modify your team before the tournament.
Coming into a big tournament like the World Cup, the Afghans lack experience against heavyweights, and even Rashid stated that. He said that Afghanistan doesn't play against outfits like Australia, and then suddenly in a World Cup, the increased pressure affects the performance.
"This is the first time, we played South Africa in an ODI. We played New Zealand and Australia after 2015 World Cup. If you play a team once in four years, you are bound to face problems. As players, we understood we need to work harder," quipped Rashid.
Regarding his side's bowling department, he said that they need to improve in the pace department.
Regarding his displays against England, he said, "I am not thinking too much about that match. People forget 10 good days and conveniently remember that one particular bad day. They don't like to remember what Rashid did on previous 10 days."
(Inputs from PTI)
