Rashid Khan: 'Every day is the best chance for me to entertain'

Rashid Khan looked tired. There were bags under his eyes as he sat in a hotel room in North Carolina and logged onto a Microsoft Teams call. No wonder.

In the last eight months, Rashid has played 69 games for eight different teams in eight different countries, across innings lasting 10, 20 and 50 overs. Since the start of the Covid pandemic, he has played 199 games with full T20 status, the most of any player in the world - and it's not even close.

Two weeks ago, Rashid played a T20I in Sylhet, Bangladesh one day, and in Major League Cricket in Dallas, Texas the next. "Straightaway, from the ground, I went to the airport then flew from Sylhet to Dhaka, Dhaka to Qatar, Qatar to here," he explained. "I reached the hotel, I took a shower and changed in 15 minutes, went to the meeting, then straightaway to the game."

Such is the life of a T20 globetrotter who, at 24, has already played more than 500 professional games. "It was very hard," Rashid reflected, "but mentally it was a good preparation. That was a flight of more than 20 hours and still I was feeling very fresh, like I'm ready to go and can deliver for my team."

That team was MI New York, one of the three Mumbai Indians affiliates - along with MI Cape Town and MI Emirates - who have been formed in the last 12 months. Rashid has played for all of them; in between times, he played against Mumbai Indians themselves three times in IPL 2023, taking 2 for 33 to help knock them out in the second qualifier.

It is unsustainable, a scenario which sums up why franchises are increasingly keen to tie players to year-round contracts. "Sometimes you are in the same team; next, you are in the opposite side," Rashid said. "It's the same with the national team: playing with them, then tomorrow in the leagues, you're playing against them. That's what T20 is all about. It's a great franchise to be part of."

Rashid was speaking as part of the launch of KP Snacks' community cricket pitches initiative, which will fund 100 new pitches over the next three years. It is part of a tie-in with the Hundred, where he was due to represent the defending champions Trent Rockets on Tuesday night - another quick turnaround, having claimed 3 for 9 to help win the inaugural MLC final late on Sunday night.

He was locked in to play three games for Rockets this season before flying to Pakistan for a three-match ODI series, as Afghanistan ramp up their preparation for the Asia Cup and the World Cup beyond - but, on the eve of the opening game, he pulled out of the tournament at the 11th hour due to an unspecified injury.

Even before his withdrawal, Rashid conceded that he could use a break. He missed two ODIs against Sri Lanka last month with a back injury that he says is "still to be fully recovered" and his upcoming schedule is relentless. "There is so much cricket," he said. "Asia Cup is there, World Cup is there. We have 20-21 ODIs in the next two or three months. It's a big task."

So why does he do it? "You just need to look after yourself, and try your best to make sure you enjoy your skills," he explained. "That's what I have been doing. Every day is the best chance for me to entertain the crowd, entertain the fans all around the world and that is something which gives me the motivation and makes me prepared for the next game."

Wherever Rashid goes, Afghanistan fans follow. "It gives me so much energy on the field when I see my own flag and the people in the stands cheering for me. That is so beautiful - even here in the US as well. It's the same in the UK. It's a positive energy for me when I see them in the ground. I just try my best to give something to make them smile."

Rashid was the only Afghan player due to be involved in the Hundred this season, and hopes that will change in future. "As the T20 captain of Afghanistan, I feel if we get more batters in the Hundred and they get the opportunity to get better and better, it's going to be a massive help - and also great for the fans in the UK, where they come to see the best players.

"[Rahmanullah] Gurbaz has been playing around the world. Ibrahim [Zadran] has been delivering so well so far. There is lots of young talent as well in the Under-19s… Hazrat Zazai is there as well. Good talent is there but it's just about the opportunity. I feel like the best opportunity for them is now the Asia Cup and the World Cup where they show their talent and everyone is watching."

This will be Rashid's - and Afghanistan's - second 50-over World Cup, but he is still chasing his first win. "It's the best conditions you can ask for, as a team who has a very good spin attack," he says. "We have been contributing in the World Cups, but we don't have many wins.

"This year, we are not just going to be part of the World Cup. We are going to be a team which win games - and not only one or two. If you see the schedule, we have most games on good tracks where it spins as well. I think it's going to be a good opportunity for us where we can beat the teams and we can create history."