Rashid Khan named ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Decade
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has named Afghanistan's spin sensation Rashid Khan as the Men's T20I Cricketer of the Decade. He beat Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and four other players for the prestigious honor.
In the period between 2010 and 2019, Rashid Khan had the most wickets in the shortest format. In 45 matches, the Afghan scalped 89 wickets at an unbelievable average of 12.62.
The second-best on the list was Bangladesh's Shakib Al-Hasan, who picked up 75 wickets in 14 more games than Rashid Khan.
Rashid Khan is also one of only five bowlers to have taken two five-wicket hauls in T20Is. The 22-year-old's spell of 5/3 in 2017 is the joint most economic spell in the shortest format.
Notably, the leg-spinner made his debut only in 2015. In five years, Rashid Khan has taken the cricket world by storm and is currently a household name around the T20 circuit.
With 736 points, he is also the No.1 bowler in the ICC Rankings for T20Is.
Spell against Ireland most memorable for me: Rashid Khan
Talking to ICC and Star Sports, Rashid Khan gave his thoughts on receiving the award. He talked about his most memorable moments in the last decade and also touched upon his impressive show in the 2016 T20I World Cup.
"(I am) quite happy. It's a special moment for me, my country and my fans. Thank you so much to each and everyone for contributing and making this happen. I had the 5/6 against Ireland where I took four wickets in four balls. That was the most memorable for me," said Rashid Khan.
"And I can't forget the performance I had in the 2016 World Cup. I was the second-highest wicket-taker in that tournament. In the game against the West Indies, they were the defending champions and we won against them. That was also a memorable game for me as I took 3 wickets. The wicket of Marlon Samuels was the best wicket for me in that World Cup," Khan added.
With Rashid Khan's pacy leg-spinners and inscrutable googlies continuing to fox the best of batsmen around the world, this prestigious award is just a beginning for the youngster.