AFG vs AUS: "Hopefully No Serious Injuries Is What I'm Trying To Say" - Afghanistan Head Coach Jonathan Trott Says About Rashid Khan's Injury

Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott has ruled out any serious injury to star leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who injured his knee during the T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 match against Sri Lanka at the Gabba in Brisbane on Tuesday, November 1.

Rashid Khan went off the field and appeared to be in immense pain after his knee got stuck in the outfield while trying to save a boundary during the penultimate over of the match on Tuesday. Rashid bowled his four-over quota, but was unable to continue, and he was carried off the field by the physio and his teammates.

Batting first, Afghanistan scored 144 for the loss of 8 wickets, and Sri Lanka chased down the target for the loss of 4 wickets in 18.3 overs. The Mohammad Nabi-led team is out of the ongoing T20 World Cup; two of the team’s four matches were called off due to rain, and they lost the remaining two games.

After Afghanistan’s loss to Sri Lanka, Trott told reporters that Rashid would undergo a scan to assess the severity of the injury, but it was not serious. The former England batsman has revealed that the leg-spinner is carrying a back problem before the World Cup.

I Think Rashid Just Jarred His Knee – Jonathan Trott

“He’s being looked at at the moment. I think he just jarred his knee. Also had a bit of a back issue coming into the World Cup. So that’s just flared up again. I think he’ll be okay,” Trott told the press.

“Well, we don’t know about that, but hopefully no serious injuries is what I’m trying to say. Thank goodness,” he added.

Afghanistan’s chances of qualifying for the World Twenty20 ended with the loss to Sri Lanka. But they have a chance to spoil Australia’s party when they meet them in Adelaide on November 4.

Trott said the familiarity factor will come into play when they face the mighty Australians in Adelaide, and someone like Rashid can help the team. Rashid, who played for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League, could play a key role for Afghanistan.

“Yeah, for sure, I think the case with a lot of players, the likes of Mujeeb and Nabi, who have played against the Australian players before,” Trott added.

“I think yesteryears when nothing was perhaps known of players, but nowadays there’s so much analytics of the game and analysis of things, but also very various franchises now that players get to play with various players or against them quite often,” he added.

Also read: ENG vs SL: “It’s A Ruthless Tournament, Last Year South Africa Went Out Despite Having 4 Wins Out Of 5 Games” – England Skipper Jos Buttler Says After Winning Against New Zealand