Afghanistan star Rashid Khan will reportedly miss the upcoming edition of the Big Bash League, making it the second time in a row that will skip the tournament.
Rashid, who has played for Adelaide Strikers since his first season in the BBL in 2017, will reportedly not be in action in the 2024/25 edition after deciding to opt out from the draft to be held on September 1.
According to AAP News, he will miss the tournament due to a hectic schedule. Afghanistan will play two Tests, three ODIs and as many T20Is in Zimbabwe at the end of the year, following which Rashid will play in the SA20, where he will play for MI Cape Town.
Rashid Khan, 25, picked up his 600th T20 wicket on Monday. 🫡
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) July 31, 2024
If he gets to 1,000, he will become the first bowler in history to get to the feat in limited-overs format ➡️https://t.co/nuB2aswOLH pic.twitter.com/zVqweLCXBy
Rashid, who is currently injured and missed the latter half of The Hundred due to a persistent back injury, also skipped last year’s BBL. The spinner underwent back surgery following the ICC ODI World Cup, which forced him to miss over four months of action.
Rashid had threatened to pull out BBL last season
Last year, Rashid had threatened to withdraw from any future involvement in the BBL after Cricket Australia announced the men’s team would not play any bilateral series with Afghanistan citing “recent announcements from the Taliban restricting the freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan”.
Rashid, currently the captain of Afghanistan’s men’s T20I side, had voiced his disappointment over the decision and threatened to pull out of the league. “If playing vs 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.”
However, he later relented and agreed to be retained by the Strikers but could not participate due to his back injury.
According to reports, the BBL organisers have no issues with Rashid’s views and are open to welcoming him back for the tournament next year.
Rashid has taken 98 wickets in the BBL, the most by any overseas player and the third-highest among all spinners.
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