'Want Afghanistan To Win One World Cup By The Time I Am In The Team,' Says Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan: "I Want Afghanistan To Win A World Cup Before I Retire"

New Delhi, Tuesday – While Afghanistan slipped to another defeat at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Rashid Khan reminded everyone why he's the real story: 28 with the bat, 336 with the ball. And that inside-out loft over cover off Arshdeep Singh in the 18th over? Not luck at all.

The batting upgrade that's been brewing

Rashid credits a shift that began at the Gujarat Titans IPL dressing room, where he was told he was more than "a bowler who could swing a bat." Ashish Nehra encouraged him to embrace the batter role, and a lot of that work traces back to one unassuming name: Naeem Amin.

"To be honest, all my improved batting has been done by Naeem Amin. Not just batting, but bowling too." Rashid did 34 sessions with Amin pre-tournament, working on playing straight and hitting straight sixes. Amin messaged post-match: "What I enjoyed most was that six over midoff against Arshdeep – the best effort for me."

From underdogs to a consistency challenge

Rashid pins Afghanistan's arrival to the 2023 ODI World Cup – the win over reigning champions England in New Delhi where the "underdog" tag stopped being an excuse and became a weapon. Beats England, Sri Lanka, Pakistan; Australia only fell to Maxwell's innings magic. Then 2024 saw NZ and Australia beaten before a semifinal exit.

But Rashid's wary of a side that celebrates upsets instead of expecting results: "We want to do it again and again. When you do it repeatedly, that's when you show consistency. That's the big challenge."

Captaincy, back health, and a lucky charm

On losing the T20I armband to Ibrahim Zadran, Rashid laughed it off: "Le li [it was taken]. Whatever happens, it's for the good. Hopefully Ibrahim, a skilful young guy, can lead them to more wins."

His 2026 headline stat? No back complaints, no pain management – a huge turnaround after back surgery following the 2023 WC. He credits 23 days at Red Bull's High Performance Centre in Salzburg, Austria, for a full-body checkup that mapped his strengths and weaknesses. Nutrition stays simple: Dal Makhani fans him, and "if the body is happy, then you are also happy."

Then there's the real secret weapon – his son Azlan, described as a "lucky charm": "Since he came for the first match in England, I took five wickets. In 3 matches in Ireland, 12 scalps. He woke up last night when I picked three wickets; he was sleeping the previous match, that's why my performance wasn't good." 😄

The one unclaimed trophy

For a player with franchise titles and wickets across every league on planet Earth, the definition of a career well spent comes down to a single piece of silverware.

"The most important thing is that I want Afghanistan to win one World Cup by the time I am in the team. Whether T20 or ODI – a big achievement I want in the book before I retire."

Source: IANS

Source: Cricketnmore