Rashid Khan was the No. 1 pick at the original Hundred draft in 2019.
Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan is ready to make an impact for Trent Rockets in their opening fixture against Southern Brave on Saturday (July 24) in The Hundred.
The 22-year-old is also keen to justify his status being the No. 1 pick at the original draft in The Hundred in 2019, when he makes his debut in the 100-ball competition in England on Saturday.
While Rashid is unfazed by his price tag of £100,000 ($138,000) in The Hundred, the spinner is super excited with the opportunity to bowl 10 balls in a row in the new format competition as it gives an opportunity to take 10 wickets and three hat-tricks as well.
Rashid said before his debut in The Hundred, “Definitely it is a huge, proud moment for me and my country, to be someone from Afghanistan and be the first pick in this competition. I'm so lucky to be someone picked in this competition for the first time and I think it's all about what I have done in the last five-and-a-half years that made it possible.”
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The spinner added, “I'm looking forward to proving that. I just need to keep it simple for myself, bring my skills, enjoy the game, keep smiling and keep doing well for the team.”
Rashid has had good preparation and acclimatized to English conditions for The Hundred by playing for Sussex in the 2 T20 Blast games after taking one month break following the PSL 2021 in June. However, the Afghanistan star said his 10-day quarantine in London was tough for him.
Rashid continued, “It has been good preparation for me before the Hundred. To get used to the weather, conditions and get my muscles going because I had a bit of a long break after the PSL. I did 10 days of quarantine in London, which was hard, you know 10 days being locked in a room, so to get out of there, have a bit of practice and a couple of games, it's good preparation for me.”
Well, the bowlers are allowed to bowl five or 10 balls in a row in The Hundred and the spinner is eager to bowl his first 10-ball spell in the tournament.
He signed off by saying, “I'm super excited about that, to be bowling 10 balls in a row, it gives you kind of an opportunity to take 10 wickets straightaway and three hat-tricks.”
(With AFP Inputs)