The rise of Afghanistan cricketers from the war-ravaged lanes of the country to the pinnacle of international cricket is well documented.
Barely a couple of decades ago, even affording cricket accessories was a distant dream for the Afghan mass. But the hurdles did not stop them from working hard to realize their dream, and they are now duly rewarded for it.
The journey to remember:
They are now one of the most improved and exciting teams in the game. In 2008, Afghanistan had made it to division five of the World Cricket League. Subsequently, which was five stages below World Cup qualification.
Just four years after gaining the ODI status in 2011, they made it to their maiden 50-over World Cup in 2015 – a remarkable success for a nation which started playing the game in refugee sites.
The fairy-tale just kept on getting better, and in 2017 they earned their Test status. Early this year, they defeated two-time world champions, Windies in the final of the World Cup Qualifiers to make it to the main event. Recently, they whitewashed Bangladesh 3-0 in a T20I series and played their first-ever Test.
One of the men who has been in thick of actions in Afghanistan’s recent rise is their leg-spinner, Rashid Khan.
Currently the best-ranked T20I bowler in the world, Rashid is nothing less than a nightmare for batsmen in these days. His leg-spins, googlies and other variations have made it tough for the batsmen to pick him.
Well, the 19-year old also had to fight against all the odds to make it big in the game. And in Rashid’s latest tweet, he has given the world a glimpse of the place where his journey began.
Rashid posted a video on Twitter, showing the place where he learned to play cricket along with his brothers. The video features his brother bowling a spinning delivery to another brother.
“This is how from where I start my ckt playing with brothers at home big bro @amirkhan6362 has some skills to turn the ball #familylegspinners,” he wrote.
This is how from where I start my ckt playing with brothers at home big bro @amirkhan6362 has some skills to turn the ball #familylegspinners ???? pic.twitter.com/2D47YhW7O5
— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) June 19, 2018