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Rashid Khan, regarded as Afghanistan’s first global star, made his debut in the T20I format on October 26, when the side clashed against Zimbabwe in the 1st match of the tour in 2015. In no time, Rashid went on to make a name for himself with his effective leg spinning skills, and went on to become one of the most effective spinners across the globe. He became the first cricketer from his nation to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he was bought by SunRisers Hyderabad in 2017 for INR 4 Crore.
Later, he went on to pick his maiden T20I five-wicket haul at the second T20I against Ireland on March 10, 2017. His figures of five wickets for three runs is the best bowling performance by an Afghan cricketer in a T20I, and the joint fourth-best figures in all T20Is. Khan also scripted history when he became the first player to take a five-wicket in two overs in a T20I match. In 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) was named as the Associate Cricketer of the Year.
Rashid Khan dismissed Sikandar Raza to record his first T20I dismissal in 2015
In his first game in the shortest format, Khan dismissed the wicket of Sikandar Raza to record his first dismissal. The game saw Afghanistan defeating Zimbabwe by a margin of six wickets. In the game, Zimbabwe skipper Asghar Afghan won the toss and invited the rivals to field first. Zimbabwe had got off to a dominant start as openers Sikandar Raza and Chamu Chibhabha completed their respective fifties.
However, as the game progressed, the side lost the control of their batting, and Afghanistan bowlers gained the momentum. The side put up a total of 153 runs with a loss of five wickets. In return, Mohammad Shahzad came up with 34 runs off 21 balls, along with Usman Ghani scored 13 runs off 18 balls. Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran remained not out on 33 and 37 as Afghanistan chased down the total in 19.1 overs.
