On this day in 2017: Rashid Khan takes down West Indies with a spell of 7/18
Rashid Khan is only 23 years old but he is already a global superstar in the world of cricket. The Afghanistan spinner is known for his ability to bamboozle batsmen with subtle variations in pace as well as in length. And, on 9th June 2017, the leg spinner flummoxed the West Indian batting line-up and enabled his side to post a 63-run victory over the opposition.
Let us go into some detail to find out what happened in the match where Rashid Khan shone through with the ball. Afghanistan won the toss and decided to get their blades out first. The Afghan innings was just about one man, Javed Ahmadi. The opening batsman scored a classic 102-ball 81 at the top of the order for his side. Apart from Ahmadi, Gulbadin Naib scored a quickfire 41 at a strike rate of 146.42 as the Afghanistan side posted a total of 212/6 on the board.
Ashley Nurse was the pick of the bowlers for the ‘Men in Maroon’. The off-spinner scalped 2 wickets, giving away 34 runs in the 10 overs that he bowled. In reply, the West Indies could not forge any major partnerships and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
Rashid sinks West Indies
And, after the introduction of Rashid Khan into the bowling attack, all the hopes of the West Indian side vanished. Rashid Khan prized out seven West Indian batsmen in his deadly 8.4 over spell, giving away just 18 runs in the process. He began his spell with two wickets on his first two balls. The West Indies wilted under the pressure exerted by the champion Afghanistan spinner, and were bowled out for a total of just 149, and handed Afghanistan a comfortable victory.
The top scorer for the West Indian side was Shai Hope, who scored 35 off 63 deliveries. Such was the shambolic performance of the West Indian side that 6 of their batsmen could not even score in double figures.
Needless to say, Rashid Khan won the Player of the Match award for single-handedly helping his side post a famous victory over the West Indies.
