Rashid Khan pulls out of The Hundred due to an unspecified injury
Leg-spinner Rashid Khan will not represent the Trent Rockets in the upcoming edition of The Hundred, which begins on Tuesday, August 1. The Afghan was slated to play a total of three matches in the season, including the opening clash against the Southern Brave in Nottingham.
Rashid was recently seen in the Major League Cricket (MLC), where he helped the MI New York (MINY) to the title. The ace spinner registered figures of 3-9 off his four overs in the final against the Seattle Orcas at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
Rashid, who represented Trent Rockets in their title-winning The Hundred campaign last year, has opted out of the 2023 edition due to an undisclosed injury. The franchise has replaced him with New Zealand spinner Ish Sodhi while Imad Wasim will act as the deputy across the first three matches.
"I'm really disappointed to have to withdraw from The Hundred through injury. It's been great to play in the competition the first two years, Trent Rockets is a great team, and I hope to be back again next year," Rashid said.
Rashid is likely to be next seen during the 2023 Asia Cup with the Afghanistan national side. The Afghans have been drawn alongside Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the group stage, which begins on August 30.
The wily spinner has been troubled by a persistent back injury that kept him out of the first two ODI's against Sri Lanka in June 2023.
Rashid Khan's last-minute withdrawal underlines The Hundred's credibility woes
Players have expressed worry over the future of England's premier white-ball franchise tournaments, especially with the emergence of the Major League Cricket.
While the England and Wales Cricket (ECB) Board is planning to merge the Vitality T20 Blast and The Hundred into a single T20 tournament to compete alongside the dominant leagues in the market, it will take a while to enforce such a radical change.
Rashid Khan was retained in the top bracket of £125,000 and would have received his salary proportional to his three appearances. Apart from overseas stars, The Hundred is having a hard time retaining their local players, with Mark Wood also deciding to skip the tournament to remain injury-free for the upcoming ODI World Cup.
Will the spinner's absence affect the league's status in any way, shape, or form? Let us know what you think.