Rashid Khan is an Afghan cricketer and the captain of the Afghanistan national team in T20I format. He is a leg-spinner who bowls with great accuracy and variations. He is also a handy lower-order batsman who can hit big shots. He made his international debut for Afghanistan in October 2015 and has been one of the most successful and popular players for his country.
Rashid Khan was born on 20 September 1998 in Nangarhar, Afghanistan. His father, Abdul Qayum, was a businessman and his mother, Zainab, was a homemaker. He has six brothers and two sisters. He belongs to the Ahmadzai tribe of Afghanistan. He was passionate about cricket since his childhood and his father introduced him to the game when he was nine years old. He studied at Habibia High School in Kabul and later moved to Peshawar, Pakistan for higher education.
Rashid Khan is married to his cousin, Samia Parvin, who is a psychology student at Dhaka University. They tied the knot on 22 March 2019 and have a daughter who was born in November 2020. He follows Islam and his hobbies include fishing, playing video games and watching movies. His favourite quote is "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."
Rashid Khan started playing cricket as a batsman and bowler and joined the Pakistan Cricket Board's pace bowling academy in 2004. He played for the Afghanistan under-15 and under-17 teams before making his first-class debut for Pakistan Customs in the 2006–07 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy on 21 November 2006. He made his List A debut for Pakistan Customs in the 2006–07 ABN-AMRO Cup on 2 March 2007n. He was the leading run-scorer for Pakistan Customs in the 2006–07 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, with 612 runs in seven matches. He also took 12 wickets in the tournament. He made his Twenty20 debut for Pakistan Customs in the 2006–07 ABN-AMRO Twenty-20 Cup on 25 December 2006 In November 2009, he was selected to play for the Rajshahi Rangers in the National Cricket League of Bangladesh. He made his Twenty20 debut for Rajshahi Rangers in the National Cricket League Twenty20 on 25 November 2009.
Rashid Khan made his One Day International (ODI) debut for Afghanistan against Zimbabwe on 18 October 2015. He took one wicket in that match and helped Afghanistan win by three wickets. His Twenty20 International (T20I) debut came against Zimbabwe on 26 October 2015 in the T20 World Cup Qualifier. He took two wickets in that match and helped Afghanistan win by six wickets. Rashid Khan has been a regular member of the Afghanistan team in both formats since then and has played some crucial innings and spells for his team. He has also represented Afghanistan in their Test matches, making his debut against India on 14 June 2018. He took two wickets in that match but Afghanistan lost by an innings and 262 runs.
Rashid Khan has played 96 ODIs for Afghanistan till date, scoring 1236 runs at an average of 19.31. His highest score is 60 not out against India in September 2018. He has also taken 174 wickets at an average of 19.91. His best bowling figures are 7/18 against West Indies in June 2017.
Rashid Khan has played 82 T20Is for Afghanistan till date, scoring 370 runs at an average of 14.80. His highest score is 48 not out against Zimbabwe in September 2019. He has also taken 130 wickets at an average of 14.80. His best bowling figures are 5/3 against Ireland in February 2020.
Rashid Khan has played 5 Tests for Afghanistan till date, scoring 106 runs at an average of 15.14. His highest score is 51 against Bangladesh in September 2019. He has also taken 34 wickets at an average of 22.35. His best bowling figures are 7/137 against Bangladesh in September 2019.
Rashid Khan was appointed as captain of Afghanistan national cricket team in T20I format in April 2019, replacing Asghar Afghan. He led Afghanistan to their first T20I series win against Bangladesh in September 2019, taking four wickets in the third match. He also led Afghanistan to their first Test series win against Zimbabwe in March 2021, scoring a half-century and taking eleven wickets in the second match.
Rashid Khan was involved in a heated exchange with teammate Mohammad Nabi during an ODI against Pakistan in September 2018, after Nabi accused him of dropping a catch deliberately. The two players had to be separated by the umpires and other teammates. Rashid later apologized for his behaviour and said that it was due to the emotions of the game. He was also fined 15 percent of his match fee for showing dissent at an umpire's decision during a T20I against Zimbabwe in March 2020. He was also reprimanded for using inappropriate language during the same match.