Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan back with Strikers to lay claim to Adelaide Oval

Afghanistan’s finest, Rashid Khan, is laying the markers for Adelaide as his ‘home ground’ in next year’s historic Test against Australia.

Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan at Karen Rolton Oval for an Adelaide Strikers practice match. Picture: AAP

Afghanistan’s finest, Rashid Khan, is laying the markers for Adelaide as his “home ground” in next year’s historic Test against Australia and the Twenty20 World Cup.

As much as the South Australian Cricket Association wants to host a day-night Test against India, brilliant legspinner Rashid can’t envisage the minnows being banished to a fiery Perth Stadium strip next November.

“I call it my home ground, would love to play that Test in Adelaide, don’t have any plan to play that in Perth,” Rashid said.

“Some might think mentally we are not ready for that. It would a great opportunity to play the Test here.”

Rashid wants to follow a Super 12s World Cup clash against South Africa in Adelaide with a Test against Australia on his favourite venue.

Indian broadcasters would prefer a day-night Border-Gavaskar Test scheduled in Perth that could be beamed back to prime-time audiences on the subcontinent. However, poor crowds in Perth for Australia’s series opener against New Zealand and against Pakistan at the Gabba have dramatically bolstered Adelaide’s claim for a traditional or pink-ball Test featuring India.

Bangladesh was eased into the Test fray against Australia in Darwin and then Cairns in 2003 during the northern dry season.

Afghanistan are a Test nation very much on their L-plates after four Tests but Adelaide would suit their spin trio of Rashid, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Zahir Khan.

“To be honest I would like to play that in Adelaide, the kind of wicket that helps the spinner as well. We have seen Nathan Lyon bowl well,” said Rashid.

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Afghanistan lost their inaugural Test against India but Rashid’s 21-wickets across matches against Ireland at Dehradun and Bangladesh in Chattogram inspired landmark victories. A nine-wicket loss to the West Indies in Lucknow last month proved a reality check and highlighted the need for increased red-ball exposure for the war-torn nation.

“I think we are getting better match by match. The first match against India we were in such a hurry. The mentality, it looked like we were playing T20 cricket. Later on against Ireland we were getting better,” said Rashid, whose wicket-taking and batting bravado were largely responsible for catapulting Afghanistan from Associate to full Test status.

When Afghanistan’s squad reassembles it won’t be with Rashid as captain, despite steering two, cherished Test triumphs. The Afghanistan Cricket Board last week decided to reappoint Asgar Afghan across all forms with Rashid’s blessing.

Asgar’s axing for Gulbadin Naib three months before the 2019 World Cup unsettled a side that ended the 50-over showpiece winless.

“He (Asgar) is someone who can handle the team and has the experience of four years captaining the team,” said Rashid, appointed Naib’s successor after the World Cup in July.

“It is not good for the country to be changing quickly.”

But Rashid concedes there is virtue in the latest stop on his country’s leadership merry-go-round.

Rashid is rated T20’s No 1 bowler but is still finding his groove in the Test arena. The burden of captaincy could prove a hindrance to the development and prowess of Afghanistan’s matchwinner.

“I am happy to be playing for Afghanistan, captain or not. The main reason behind changing me was we have a big competition coming up with World Cup and Asia Cup,” explained Rashid, who will unveil two new wrong’un variations in this summer’s BBL for the Strikers.

“They just want me to focus on bowling and performance and that was something that was more important for the team than being captain.

“The patience I am getting from Test cricket is very important for me. Hopefully there will be more Test games.”

The World Cup provided Rashid with the first road-bump in his career since he made his one-day debut against Zimbabwe in 2015 at the age of 17. He became Afghanistan’s maiden IPL million-dollar player when Sunrisers outlayed $2m to retain their star tweaker at the 2018 auction.

Rashid took six wickets at 69 for the tournament, including the most expensive figures 0-110 and sixes conceded (11) in a World Cup match against England at Manchester.

But nothing flusters the kid from Afghanistan’s wild Nangarhar province, where life can be expendable.

Rashid has wisdom beyond his 21 years having fled the Taliban and endured life in a Peshawar refugee camp but the scale of England captain Eoin Morgan’s 148-run assault in 71 balls was sobering.

“You learn when you are punished, think about your bowling, planning. You should change your delivery. These games give you a proper lesson and experience,” recalled Rashid of the game England won by 150 runs after posting 397.

An unusual action, fast stock-ball and stealth wrong’uns had always disarmed batsmen but 50-over contests without quality pace back-up and small totals to defend left Rashid exposed.

“For me it was one of the toughest games in my whole career. Those matches come in everyone’s career,” said Rashid, forced to deal with the passing of his father last December while fronting for the Strikers.

“I learnt about my field settings, to be more consistent with line and length, to be cool, calm.”

The one-day World Cup was a rude awakening but T20 is Afghanistan’s forte.

Rashid leads an Afghan BBL contingent with intimate knowledge of each Australian venue and capable of upsetting established nations. England’s 2015 World Cup exit to Bangladesh in Adelaide serves as encouragement.

“If we were coming for the first time for the World Cup and I had not played the BBL it would be very tough for me to adjust. Most importantly we are playing in Adelaide against South Africa, my home ground,” said Rashid, whose third BBL campaign for the Strikers starts in Canberra against Sydney Thunder on Saturday.

“The best thing it is not only me playing, there is Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Zahir Khan.

“It is a dream opportunity, playing here, getting to know the conditions, going back and sharing that with the players.”

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