PSL 2021: Rashid Khan opens up on his heroic performances against Islamabad United & Peshawar Zalmi
Rashid Khan has set the PSL on fire since the second phase of the tournament resumed in the UAE on June 9. The Lahore Qalandars spinner produced two back-to-back Man of the Match performances in a matter of days.
In a recent chat with Cricket Pakistan, Rashid Khan opened up about how he went about his business in those two games.
The PSL resumed with Lahore Qalandars taking on Islamabad United on June 9. In that game, the leg-spinner bowled economically, picking up 1-9 in his four overs to restrict his opponents to 143. Rashid Khan then starred with the bat as well, smashing 15* off five balls in the last over to help his side chase down 144.
Speaking about his performance with the willow, Rashid Khan explained that he works on his batting consistently and has the self-confidence to contribute lower down the order. He said:
"I have been working on my batting consistently. I always try to contribute with 20-30 runs in the lower order. I always try to contribute for the team and even on that day (vs Islamabad United) the mindset was the same. Hussain Talat was the new bowler and he hadn't bowled an over in that game. So i just wanted to play proper cricketing shots. I had the self confidence, even though we had to chase 16 runs (in the final over). Went in with a positive mindset and belief in my skillsets."
The second phase of the PSL got off to a rollicking start with a thrilling contest, and Rashid Khan was named the Man of the Match for his all-round performance.
"The more I bowl attacking deliveries, the better it is for my team" - Rashid Khan
The Afghanistan bowler followed up his performance against Islamabad United with another significant achievement, picking up a five-for versus Peshawar Zalmi in Lahore Qalandars' next game.
Speaking about the match, Rashid Khan revealed his mindset behind the five-wicket haul:
"I never think that i need to take five wickets or one wicket or two wickets. I always have in my mind that I need to be economical. If I bowl a good over, the batsman starts taking risks at the other end and then wicket taking chances are created. So when I bowled (against Peshawar), I felt that the ball was spinning a lot. So I had to take an advantage of it. The more I bowl attacking deliveries the better it is for my team. So that was my mindset and that's how I picked five wickets."
Rashid was once again awarded the Man of the Match award for returning with figures of 5-20 against Peshawar Zalmi.
The Qalandars have got off to a great start in the second phase of their PSL 2021 campaign and are currently the frontrunners to book their place in the playoffs. The Lahore-based outfit, who are second in the standings, will next be in action against the Quetta Gladiators today.