Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan was on fire in the team's second T20I against Ireland in Sharjah on Sunday, March 17, making a significant impact with both bat and ball.
Rashid won the toss for Afghanistan and elected to bat first. He walked out to bat at No. 9 and captivated fans with a blistering cameo, scoring 25 runs off just 12 balls.
The 25-year-old hit an outrageous shot on the final ball of the 18th over, which has gone viral on social media. Pacer Barry McCarthy dished out a low full toss at stumps, which Rashid nonchalantly hit for a six over deep backward square leg boundary with a no-look shot.
Rashid Khan's explosive knock helped Afghanistan finish at 152/9 in 20 overs. He was also at his vintage best with the ball, bagging four wickets while conceding just 14 runs from his full quota of four overs. Afghanistan won the contest by 10 runs to level the three-match series 1-1.
Rashid Khan returned to competitive cricket with the T20I series against Ireland
It is worth mentioning that Rashid Khan returned to competitive cricket with the ongoing series after being on the sidelines since the 2023 50-over World Cup.
The ace leg-spinner underwent back surgery following the showpiece event for a long-troubling injury. Speaking ahead of his comeback series, here's what Rashid said during an interview with the Afghanistan Cricket Board:
"The plan is to represent the country in the upcoming series and the training has been underway and today was the second day and thankfully it went well and I hope that the following few days will also be well so that I can wear the national jersey again and continue to do well for my country."
"The last three months were difficult because I had surgery. I had been suffering from a back injury for the last seven to eight months and the doctor had asked me to have surgery even before the World Cup but I decided to play the World Cup and have surgery afterwards because it was such an important event for us but Alhamdulillah I am back on the field and feeling well now and now my focus is on returning to the field and bringing joy and success to the nation," he added.
The T20I series decider between Afghanistan and Ireland will be played in Sharjah on Monday, March 18.
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