Asia Cup 2022: "He wanted me to bat at No. 4 for Afghanistan" - Rashid Khan recalls conversation with Inzamam-ul-Haq 

Star leg-spinner Rashid Khan recently revealed that legendary Pakistan batter Inzamam-ul-Haq wanted him to bat at No. 4 when he was the head coach of the Afghanistan team.

Speaking on Sawera Pasha's YouTube channel on Wednesday, he stated that Inzamam had encouraged him to work on his batting during the T20 World Cup in 2016. Rashid recalled how he was also promoted to No. 5 during the team's clash against England during the competition.

He said:

"Inzamam-ul-Haq was our head coach when I first came into the team. During the T20 World Cup in 2016, he told me that he wanted me to bat at No. 4 for Afghanistan in the next two or three years.

"He told me that I have the talent and the skills and it was just a matter of developing that. It gave me a lot of confidence. He even promoted me to No. 5 straightaway after that against England."

He wasn't able to make the most of the opportunity, managing just 15 runs from 20 deliveries in the contest. However, his performance as a batter has improved tremendously in recent years.

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"I didn't get many opportunities to bat in the nets earlier" - Rashid Khan

Rashid further added that a number of people had told him that he has the ability to contribute with the bat as well. He pointed out that he wasn't able to work on his batting earlier as he didn't get enough chances in the nets.

The 23-year-old mentioned that his experience of playing in global T20 leagues has helped him make improvements in his batting. The talented youngster opined that he is now ready to play as an all-rounder.

He said:

"I have started to feel that I could chase 25-30 runs for the team during the final overs. I have always been told that I have the ability, but it's just that I need some confidence.

"I didn't get many opportunities to bat in the nets earlier, so I started focusing just on my bowling. I got a chance to work on my batting in the last two years while playing T20 leagues. I have made it clear to the teams now that they can count me as an all-rounder."

Rashid will be seen in action during the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 in the UAE. Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will battle it out in the opening fixture of the continental event on Saturday (August 27).

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