Tim Wigmore is tipping Afghan spin king Rashid Khan to be the next big thing in T20 after his rapid Big Bash rise
Sometimes, T20 is derided as a lottery, a game played for entertainment and driven by plain old chance. Look at Rashid Khan’s bowling figures this Big Bash League season, and the notion looks utterly absurd.
In his first five games, Rashid recorded figures of 2-22, 2-22, 2-19, 2-18 and then 2-21: absurdly consistent, and absurdly good. So, in every innings, he has bowled his full allocation of four overs, conceded under six runs an over and taken two wickets. That’s remarkable – and even more so when you consider Rashid’s versatility. He has bowled in the Powerplay – including when he dismissed Chris Lynn in the second over of the innings – in the middle overs and at the death. No wonder that he is ranked the third best T20 bowler in the world.
Rashid is much more than a brilliant bowler. He is a cricketer who teams can recalibrate their entire strategies around.
In T20 cricket, winning the toss and chasing has become increasingly popular: a recognition that it tends to be easier to chase. How, after all, can a side batting first gauge whether a wicket is a 190 wicket or a 175 wicket, say? In the 2016/17 Big Bash, only seven teams in 35 games chose to bat first after winning the toss – and they lost every time.
Denne historien er fra January 12,2018-utgaven av The Cricket Paper.
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Denne historien er fra January 12,2018-utgaven av The Cricket Paper.
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Kohli leads RCB to much-needed win
VIRAT KOHLI returned to top form with 72 not out to lead RCB to an eight-wicket victory over the Royals in Abu Dhabi.
TEWATIA HAS SPARKED MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE IPL
James Wallace admits he has been surprisingly taken in by the IPL so far – and, in particular, the performance of a new Royal renegade
Whitewash victory is just the T20 tonic for Keightley
A SERIES that few thought would come to fruition ended in triumph for England who completed a 5-0 whitewash of the West Indies in Derby.
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Chris Stocks catches up with Ryan ten Doeschate, who has plotted Essex’s recent county domination every step of the way
Surrey have the Will to end hoodoo
WILL Jacks may be a hot batting prospect but he’s relished the added responsibility with the ball in Surrey’s charge to T20 Finals Day.
NOW IT'S OUR TIME TO HELP OTHERS
Chris Stocks catches up with England’s director of cricket and discusses the need for the ECB to help boards around the world
IT'S OFTEN DOWN TO A THROW OF THE DICE
Garfield Robinson explains just how big a part luck plays in determining success or failure in sport
FINDING TALENTS LIKE TOM IS A GAIN IN ITSELF
One of the unexpected highlights to emerge from English cricket’s Covid-attenuated season was the chance given to young players to strut their stuff. With many overseas players and Kolpaks affected by travel restrictions many counties looked instead to the young talent on their staffs with gratifying results.
Future looks bright for the Ohio Slinger
ALI Khan is earning his stars and stripes in the Indian Premier League, with the first American to play in the tournament breaking down barriers in every sense.
Spin trio put squeeze on after Glenn shows off skill with the bat
SARAH GLENN helped England spin it to win it after proving she can make an all-round contribution.
