Rashid Khan – an Afghan role model

TMP – 09/05/2017

Cricket player Rashid Khan from Nangarhar, who is just 18 years old, is causing a stir in the cricket world. Although Khan has only played professional cricket for 18 months, he helped Afghanistan secure their 10^th victory in the Twenty20 International earlier this year and was recently picked up by both the Indian Premier League and the Caribbean Premier League. Fellow team mate and former captain of the Afghan national cricket team Mohammed Nabi was also picked during the Indian Premier League auction.

“Everyone in Afghanistan was waiting for the IPL [Indian Premier League] auction. When we were selected for Sunrisers Hyderabad, everyone was calling and messaging, especially people from our cricket board – the chairman, the CEO. There were calls and messages from family and friends to congratulate us, and tell us that it was a wonderful achievement for us as well as the country,” Nabi said.

While both players travel a lot, their homes and families remain in Afghanistan. Nabi and Khan both believe they are positive role models and are keen to encourage young people in Afghanistan to work hard and believe in themselves.

“What really matters to me is getting a chance to play this league. It is a big thing for our country, especially for the young generation of our country. It is a great message for the cricketers of our country. There is a lot of talent in Afghanistan, they just need some inspiration. Hopefully, you will see more big names from our country in the coming years,” Khan said.

“It is a great message to all the youngsters back in Afghanistan that if you work hard and believe [in] yourself, you can reach wherever you want to. So it’s a good example for all those youngsters who have just started

playing cricket. They should believe in themselves, and not think that it is Afghanistan and nobody is watching me. If you play well and work hard, you can achieve everywhere,” Rashid Khan said.