World Cup 2019: Afghanistan's fancied spinners get a reality check

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Rashid Khan

The headlines will all be about one man on Wednesday. England captain Eoin Morgan was at his imperious best at Old Trafford against a hapless Afghanistan attack who are getting a cricketing lesson from the big boys at the World Cup 2019.

Morgan rewrote the history books on his way to 148 by hitting 17 sixes, the most by a batsman in ODI history. However, Morgan's punishment also tarnished the image of a couple of his rival bowlers in stunning fashion. These were bowlers who had entered the World Cup as some of the best exponents of spin, whose emergence from a war-torn nation was the stuff of legends.

Rashid's nightmare

The worst hit by Morgan's tornado was Afghanistan's most prominent name, once the top-ranked bowler in the world, leg-spinner Rashid Khan. Rashid went for a jaw-dropping 110 runs off his nine overs at an economy rate of 12.22; those are truly incredible figures. He thus bagged the ignominious distinction of becoming the most expensive bowler in World Cup history.

Yet, this is not the Rashid we know. The Rashid more familiar to cricket lovers is the one who bamboozles opposing batsmen with his fast-paced googlies and leg spinners. The Rashid that they know is a devastating wicket-taker with an original approach to the traditional art of leg-spin bowling.

His successes at the Indian Premier Legue with the Sunrisers Hyderabad bear witness to the fact that he can fox the best in the world. But this World Cup has been a humbling experience for him so far.

Nabi has no answers

Another highly-rated Afghan spinner also had a day to forget, though not in the same dramatic fashion as his compatriot Rashid. Mohammad Nabi is a veteran campaigner who holds the distinction of being the first Afghan to be picked for the IPL. He is also a dexterous exponent of the modern-day variant of off-spin bowling; the one that involves carrom balls and doosras.

Nabi, however, was also taken to the cleaners by Morgan, who was gleefully joined in the run spree by Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, both of whom fell just short of their centuries. Nabi ended up conceding 70 runs off 9 overs, also failing to finish his quota of overs.

The only spinner from Afghanistan's arsenal of top slow bowlers who escaped the assault was Mujeeb ur Rahman, courtesy a tight opening spell.

Where do they go from here?

Cricket is a game of the finest margins, and it could well have been Rashid's day had Morgan not been dropped off his bowling at deep mid-wicket in the middle of his innings. Thereafter began the punishment.

Afghanistan have come all this way, in spite of the tribulations at home, to become a Test playing nation against all odds. And they have shown that their spirit cannot be broken with a string of defeats.

The talent and ability that these spinners and the rest of the team possess are beyond any question. They will surely take these lessons in their stride to become better cricketers and better ambassadors of their nation.

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