T20 World Cup: Desperately seeking the Rashid Khan of old

Afghanistan captain & leggie’s decision not to bowl in any of the two Super Overs in the defeat to South Africa was perplexing, especially since it was a spinner, Keshav Maharaj, who got the job done for the winners...
There are some defeats that can crush you. For Afghanistan, it was one such afternoon in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

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The double Super Over loss to South Africa, that has all but ended the team’s T20 World Cup campaign, may seem the end of the world for now. But Afghanistan should take heart from the fact that it was their famed fighting spirit, so intrinsic to their cricket, that kept them in the game against all odds.




It’s not that Afghanistan haven’t endured heartbreaking losses before. The 2023 ODI World Cup defeat to Australia following Glenn Maxwell’s superheroics at the Wankhede probably cost them a place in the semifinals. The 2024 T20 World Cup semifinal defeat to South Africa was more sobering, but in this defeat, there was hardly anything that the Afghans could have done differently. Maybe just one thing — their choice of bowler in at least one of the Super Overs. Rashid Khan, their talisman for years and still considered one of the best in T20 cricket, chose to intriguingly keep himself away from the action.

Rashid is somebody who used to bowl in the Powerplay for fun. However, in both losses in this World Cup, the superstar didn’t bowl in the first six overs. His decision to avoid the pressure cooker of a Super Over was slightly baffling, more so since South Africa opted for Keshav Maharaj in the second Super Over.


Rashid, who has presented Afghanistan with many memorable moments, wasn’t asked why he kept himself away. Nor was coach Jonathan Trott made to face the question, but it remains to be asked, is Rashid still the bowler he used to be?

The question is pertinent because the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is a ground that the bowler knows like the back of his palm. Rashid plays for Gujarat Titans in the IPL and has immense experience of Indian conditions. He took 2-28 during the South African chase and was Afghanistan’s most economical bowler during the 20 overs. And most importantly, no other bowler in his team generates the fear factor that he does.

Yet Azmatullah Omarzai was asked to bowl the second Super Over and the 24 the medium-pacer conceded really made the task immensely difficult. But one player who still made a fight out of it was Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

The three sixes that Gurbaz hit off Maharaj showed his strength of character as it followed his 42-ball 84 during Afghanistan’s chase.

The 24-year-old has been the lynchpin of the Afghan batting lineup for a while now.

Coach Trott felt that the kind of talent Gurbaz has, he should come up with more such performances.

“It’s probably the best innings I’ve seen him play and it’s unfortunate he couldn’t get us over the line. With the amount of talent, physique, sporting ability and natural hand-eye coordination that he has, it’s about going forward for him now.

“He wears his heart on his sleeve and over the years, I have just tried to get him to be a little more consistent in everything that he does,” Trott said.

With time, it will be interesting to see if Gurbaz gets more responsibility, taking the baton from Rashid and turning Afghanistan into a team that deals with the crunch moments a little bit better.


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