3 reasons why Rashid Khan could finish as the highest wicket-taker of the 2023 World Cup

Afghanistan’s star leg-spinner Rashid Khan is celebrating his 25th birthday on Wednesday, September 20. Having made his international debut back in 2015, the cricketer has gone on to establish himself as one of the leading bowlers in world cricket in the white-ball formats.

Rashid’s record speaks for itself. In 94 ODIs, he has snared 172 wickets at an average of 19.53 and an economy rate of 4.21, with four five-wicket hauls. In T20Is, the leg-spinner has picked up 130 wickets in 82 matches at an average of 14.80 and a strike rate of 14.4, with two five-fors.

Although Afghanistan do not play a lot of Test cricket since they are relatively new to the format, Rashid has a good record in red-ball cricket as well. In five Test matches, he has already claimed 34 wickets at an average of s 22.35. The bowler’s stats in Tests include four five-fors and two ten-wicket match hauls.

Rashid will be a key figure in Afghanistan’s squad during their upcoming ODI World Cup campaign in India. On his birthday, we analyze three reasons why the Afghan leggie could finish as the highest wicket-taker of the 2023 World Cup.

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#1 The mystery around Rashid Khan's bowling remains a mystery

Rashid Khan is among the toughest bowlers to face in international cricket. (Pic: Getty Images)

There have been a few mystery spinners in international cricket over the years. It all began with Pakistan’s former off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, who bamboozled the best of batters at his peak. Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis is another name that comes to mind. For a brief period, he was also unplayable. Saeed Ajmal and Sunil Narine have also had the tag of mystery spinner.

One thing common in the above names is the fact that they weren’t the same potent force once the mystery around them waned. Of course, Mushtaq’s reign lasted much longer than the others, a tribute to his class and talent. Narine is still around but is more of a defensive bowler in T20 cricket these days.

In stark contrast, Rashid remains an extremely tough bowler to tackle despite having been part of the game for many years now. No batter can lay claim to the fact that he has solved the leg-spinner’s mystery. With his quick arm action and canny variations, Rashid continues to trouble batters across the globe irrespective of the format.

If we look at his year-by-year record in international cricket over the last few seasons, he claimed 45 wickets in 27 international games in 2016, 60 scalps in 26 matches in 2017, 72 in 29 matches in 2018, and 56 in 32 games in 2019.

More recently, he picked up 32 wickets in 12 games in 2021 and 42 scalps in 30 matches in 2022. There has never really been a lull in Rashid’s performance. As such, it wouldn’t be surprising if he tops the wickets tally during World Cup 2023.

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#2 Conditions in India will favor spin

The 25-year-old has claimed 336 wickets in 181 international matches at an average of 17.99. (Pic: Getty Images)

Another reason why Rashid could be the leading wicket-taker at the World Cup is because conditions in India will favor spin bowling.

As more and more games are played on a particular surface, the pitches will get slower and assist turn. Rashid is among the greatest exponents of such surfaces among bowlers who will be featuring in the World Cup.

Batters will be wary of taking him on even more so given the conditions on offer. However, at times, they will be left with no option but to go after the Afghanistan genius.

In either case, Rashid remains dangerous with the ball. He’s among the few bowlers who have the ability to claim wickets even when batters are not going after them.

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#3 IPL experience will give him an edge

The Afghanistan leg-spinner has claimed 139 scalps in 109 IPL matches at an average of 20.76. (Pic: Getty Images)

Apart from international cricket, Rashid has vast experience of playing in India as well during the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Significantly, he has tasted a lot of success in the T20 league. Having made his debut in the tournament in 2017, the leg-spinner has claimed 139 scalps in 109 matches at an average of 20.76 and an economy rate of 6.67, with two four-wicket hauls. He is thus very well-versed with Indian conditions. [Note: Some IPL games have been played outside India as well.]

It can be argued that apart from Indian players, cricketers from other nations also feature in the IPL. However, when it comes to bowlers, Rashid is head and shoulders above most others in the Indian Premier League.

He was the leading wicket-taker among overseas cricketers in IPL 2023, with 27 scalps. Among other overseas bowlers, Matheesha Pathirana claimed 19, Noor Ahmad 16, Jason Behrendorff 14, and Trent Boult 13.

Rashid will be extremely confident of leading Afghanistan’s spin department during the upcoming ODI World Cup in India. And there are enough reasons to conclude that he could top the table of leading wicket-takers in the competition.