Rashid Khan totally Leads Afghanistan to a Historic Victory
So, here’s an interesting little tidbit from the second ODI between Afghanistan and South Africa in Sharjah—Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, and Azmatullah Omarzai knocked up a whopping 270 runs, right? But guess what? Not one of them had a bat sponsor! That’s pretty wild when you think about it. I mean, these guys managed to rack up almost 90% of Afghanistan’s total of 311/4 without any brand backing them. Gurbaz, for instance, played an absolutely stellar knock, scoring 105 off 110 balls. It was crisp, clean, and just downright impressive—his seventh ODI century, by the way, and the first ever by an Afghan against South Africa. Then there’s Omarzai, who hammered an unbeaten 86 off 50 balls, with most of his runs coming from boundaries.
Only Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan had stickers on their bats. Why is that? Is it because Nabi’s been around forever and played in almost all of Afghanistan’s 315 internationals? Or maybe it’s because Rashid’s a T20 superstar who’s played in leagues all over the world? It could be that brands are still hesitant to invest in a team from a country where the government isn’t exactly known for its progressive policies, especially when it comes to women and girls.
But, you know, this whole thing really shows that there’s more to the Afghan team than just Nabi and Rashid. They’re confident in their own abilities, and they don’t seem to mind not having sponsors. It’s kinda like they’re saying, “Hey, we’re here, and we’re good at what we do.”
Take Rashid, for example. On his 26th birthday, no less, he injured his hamstring while batting. But instead of throwing in the towel, he kept going, even though you could tell he was in pain. He ended up taking 5 wickets for 19 runs in 9 overs, becoming the only player to ever take five wickets on their birthday in international cricket. That’s pretty cool, right? And Nangeyalia Kharote, in only his second ODI, took 4/26 in 6.2 overs! The Afghans didn’t crumble under pressure; they just kept going and ended up bowling South Africa out for 134, securing a massive 177-run win and a series victory.
Even Shaun Pollock, who was commentating, joked that all of Rashid’s earnings should go to the physio who got him ready to play. And Rashid himself acknowledged the physio’s hard work during his post-match speech, while also showing that he knows just how important his contribution was to the team’s success. You can’t help but feel there are many more great moments to come from this Afghan team.
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