Rashid Khan ends threat to boycott BBL after making himself available for the 2023-24 season - Reports
Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has made himself available for the 2023-24 Big Bash League (BBL) season, thus reverting his earlier call to boycott the competition.
In January this year. the youngster was left unimpressed by Cricket Australia's (CA) decision to forfeit a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan last year, amid the Taliban's decision to ban university education for girls in the country.
Following CA's decision to not compete against Afghanistan in the scheduled ODI series, Rashid Khan left the 2022-23 BBL season midway. At the time, he took to X (formerly Twitter) and had said:
"I am really disappointed to hear that Australia have pulled out of the series to play us in March. If playing Afghanistan is so uncomfortable for Australia, then I wouldn't want to make anyone uncomfortable with my presence in the BBL. Therefore, I will be strongly considering my future in that competition."
CA defended their decision to not play against Afghanistan but made it clear that players from the nation, including Rashid Khan, were more than welcome to participate in the tournament. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmed, and Izharulhaq Naveed are some of the other players from Afghanistan who have put their names in for the upcoming season.
According to Australian Associated Press, Rashid Khan will feature in the now-shortened tournament, which is slated to take place from December 7 to January 24. There is a brief overlap expected with the SA20 League, where the player features as MI Cape Town's captain.
Rashid Khan has played for the Adelaide Strikers over the last six seasons and has professed his love for the city and fans on multiple occasions.
England stars also put their name forward for the 2023-24 BBL season despite scheduling conflict
The commencement of the BBL season ticks off a slew of cricketing events to wrap up the year while the start of 2024 is just as chaotic, scheduling-wise. Australia's home season, England's tour of India, the SA20 League, and the International League T20 (ILT20) are all intertwined, which makes the availability of players, a massive question.
Despite the uncertainty, England players like Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Will Jacks, and Dan Lawrence have all enlisted their names for the upcoming BBL draft on September 3.
The second season of the SA20 League is set to begin on January 10, 2024, while England's tour of India will kickstart on January 25. On Wednesday, August 23, the UAE-based ILT20 announced that their second season will take place from January 19 to February 18.