Exile to excellence! Rashid Khan's evolution into Afghanistan's World Cup icon

Rashid Khans rise to become a multimillionaire cricket superstar began in the most desperate of circumstances as a refugee living in the Pakistan city of Peshawar However as an indemand franchise cricketer with his box of legspin tricks the 25yearold has now amassed riches which would have been unimaginable when his family fled the war in Afghanistan His most recent deal in the moneyspinning Indian Premier League earned him an estimated 18 million and he boasts homes in Dubai and Sharjah Now the Afghanistan captain also finds himself just two wins away from the T20 World Cup 2024 title For the coach who taught him cricket during his formative years in Pakistan he was always destined for greatness Rashid has a blessed right hand with which he bowls world class deliveries Rashids sports teacher Ali Hoti told AFP by telephone from Peshawar His focus commitment and talent were exemplary and he is now a role model across the borders of Pakistan and Afghanistan Rashid and his family he is one of 11 children had followed a welltrodden path from the turmoil of war in Afghanistan to the relative safety of neighbouring Pakistan His parents had owned a tyre company in the eastern province of Nangarhar The young Rashid was also educated in his adopted home studying computer science at Peshawars Islamia College During cricket trials we saw huge talent in Rashid so we got him admission in computer science He was a good student as well and that was the start of his career in 2013 added 39yearold Hoti An unassuming teenager of few words Rashid hit the ground running scoring a century in a match and then helped his team to the local collegiate final Rashid was a better batter than a bowler but later he developed the skills of legbreak and with his focus attained good success said Hoti His best trait was to understand the situation of a gameRashids big international break came when former Pakistan skippers Rashid Latif InzamamulHaq and fast bowler Kabir Khan coached Afghanistan in the teams early years An Afghanistan team came to Peshawar in 2014 and played some matches during which Rashids performances caught the eye and the rest is history added Hoti Since making his debut in 2015 Rashid has played almost 200 oneday internationals and T20s He has also featured in five Afghanistan Test matches even if his 2018 debut was forgettable as he went 2154 in an innings defeat by IndiaAlso ReadAfghanistan braced for massive T20 World Cup semifinalThat did not prevent him becoming the youngest ever Test captain at just 20 and his international career has so far yielded a total of 369 wickets As a T20 franchise cricketer he helped Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in 2023 and guided Lahore Qalandars to backtoback titles in the Pakistan Super League in 2022 and 2023 Qalandars chief operating officer Sameen Rana praised Rashid as a team man For me Rashid is not only humble but the most selfless person and his work ethic is next level as he never shies away from putting in an extra yard for the team For him the team comes first said Rana At the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 Afghanistan defeated New Zealand in the first round to help earn a Super Eights place before they clinched a stunning victory over former champions Australia Rashid has led from the front taking 417 against New Zealand and 123 against Australia However his best of 423 and a score of 19 not out off just 10 balls came in the crunch game against Bangladesh earning Afghanistan a semifinal spot at a World Cup for the first time His aggressive captaincy has not spared his own players in the nailbiting win over Bangladesh on Monday he even threw his bat towards Karim Janat who had refused a second run which deprived him of the strikeWith agency inputs