Australia batting star Steve Smith turned 31 on Tuesday (June 2). One of the finest batsmen of this generation, the former Australia skipper was flooded with birthday wishes by the cricket fraternity. Well, Afghanistan star Rashid Khan also wished him on his special day albeit in an innovative manner.
The Afghanistan spinner decided to wish Steve Smith on his birthday by imitating his unique batting style. The leg-spinner’s IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad posted the clip of Rashid Khan’s imitation of Steve Smith on their Twitter handle with the caption:
“@rashidkhan_19 doing his best @stevesmith49 impression on the Aussie’s birthday today! ?Have a good one, Steve! ?”
Here is the tweet posted by Sunrisers Hyderabad:
.@rashidkhan_19 doing his best @stevesmith49 impression on the Aussie's birthday today! ?
Have a good one, Steve! ?#OrangeArmy #SRH pic.twitter.com/OhWbILcmtB
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) June 2, 2020
If not for the pandemic, both Rashid Khan and Steve Smith would have been in India recently for the Indian Premier League (IPL). While Rashid would have plied his trade for the Sunrisers, Smith would have led Rajasthan Royals. The thirteenth edition of the league was scheduled to start on March 29 and end on May 17. But in the wake of the pandemic and the deteriorating situation, the BCCI has suspended the league indefinitely.
BCCI, nonetheless, is still hopeful of conducting the tournament this year. Several media reports have suggested that the league could take place during October-November if the ICC T20 World Cup is postponed.
As of now, there is little clarity over the fate of the T20 World Cup. However, the chances of the marquee event taking place this year are very slim. The ICC is expected to announce its final decision on the tournament later this month.