Rashid
Khan Arman
Afghanistan
·
Cricket
Date of birth | 20 September 1998 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Nangarhar |
Age | 27 |
Nationality | Afghanistan |
Career start | 2015 |
Disciplines | Cricket |
In little over a decade, Afghan spin bowling sensation Rashid Khan has cemented himself as one of the greatest exponents of white-ball cricket. For those of you not fluent in cricket, that means he specialises in the slower form of bowling, where the focus is on trying to deceive the batsman with movement from a flick of the fingers or wrist rather than raw pace and swing, and he's a star in the newer, faster, shorter forms of the game.
It’s no surprise then that he’s the highest wicket-taker in T20 cricket history (with more than 650 wickets) and in T20 Internationals. It’s a long way from how Afghanistan’s cricketing superstar started out in the sport on a makeshift concrete wicket with taped-up tennis balls and a team of 10 brothers.
Learning his craft in Pakistan
His family, who owned a tyre business, had to flee the country to escape war when Rashid was still very young. The Khans sought refuge in the Peshawar region of neighbouring Pakistan, and that’s where Rashid spent his formative years, studying at the Islamia College that had already produced a few international cricketers.
With stories of the focused, talented leg-spinner sweeping across the border, Rashid was picked for the Afghanistan national team at the age of 17. He made his international debut in a One Day International in October 2015, during Afghanistan’s tour of Zimbabwe.
A leading figure for Afghanistan
Ever since his debut, Rashid has played a key role in Afghanistan’s rise in international cricket. In 2018, he was the fastest and youngest international cricketer to reach 100 wickets in ODIs when he clocked the century in just 44 matches. Two years later, he was named the ICC Men’s T20I Player of the Decade in a format that’s tailor-made for batters.
Then in 2025, he surpassed Tim Southee's previous record of 164 to become the leading wicket-taker in men's Twenty20 International cricket.
In demand around the world
Such is Rashid's skill with the white ball that he has become one of the most sought-after players in league cricket. A prolific wicket-taker who’s a handy batsman to boot, he has been drafted in multiple leagues and has been part of title-winning efforts in some of the best franchise tournaments in the world, including the Indian Premier League and Big Bash League in Australia.
His performances across the globe have made the cricket world sit up and take notice of his talent. And there is much more to come.