Afghanistan President Ghani thanks Indians for giving chance to Afghan players in the IPL
Kabul, May 26 (IBNS): On the back of a spectacular performance by Afghan cricketer Rashid Khan in the latest fixture of Hyderabad-based cricket team Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, has thanked the Indians for providing a platform to cricketers from his country.
Khan's all-round effort helped his team maul the hosts, Kolkata Knight Riders, at the latter's backyard by 13 runs on Friday.
The Afghan leg-spinner first helped his team with a rearguard, scoring 34 off just the 10 balls, pushing the team score to a competitive 174 runs in their allocated 20 overs.
Coming in to ball, he picked up 3 wickets while sparing 19 runs in his four overs. But Khan was just not done yet.
He pouched two catches of teammate Carlos Braithwaite's bowling in the final over of the KKR innings, driving the final nail in the latter's coffin.
Prior to his catching, Khan had managed to change the course of the match by getting rid of Nitish Rana by running him out.
Showering praises on the young cricketer, Ghani tweeted: "Afghans take absolute pride in our hero, Rashid Khan. I am also thankful to our Indian friends for giving our players a platform to show their skills. Rashid reminds us whats best about Afg. He remains an asset to the cricketing world. No we are not giving him away. @narendramodi."
Afghans take absolute pride in our hero, Rashid Khan. I am also thankful to our Indian friends for giving our players a platform to show their skills. Rashid reminds us whats best about Afg. He remains an asset to the cricketing world. No we are not giving him away. @narendramodi
— Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) May 25, 2018
Khan, however, is not the only Afghan player to play in the present edition of the IPL.
Compatriot Mohammad Nabi too plays for the SRH, while young mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman made everyone take notice of him during his stint with the Kings XI Punjab team.
Afghan players first participated in the cash rich tournament in 2017 edition of IPL.
While Khan has gone on to become a vital cog in SHR's wheel, Nabi too has had his share of fame, albeit limited.
Image: Indian Premier League/Twitter
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