Kolkata: Rashid Khan was furious. Scratch that. Livid. Karim Janat had just committed the unthinkable: refusing a print, according to Rashid, which could have been stolen. Stranded at mid-on, Rashid sent the bat crashing to the ground in frustration, not even trying to hide his rage. Probably realizing what he hadn’t done, Janat couldn’t look Rashid in the eyes while returning his bat. But Rashid didn’t care. He was now a one-man army, seeking to crush as many as he could. A slower ball from the back of Tanzim Sakib’s hand allowed Rashid to pad his work, but the next ball came off his bat for a 98m six.
The magnitude of those sixes – of the three Rashid had hit in a 10-ball 19 – will not soon be lost in the wake of Bangladesh’s eight-run defeat to Afghanistan in a nerve-racking and emotional chase who only gained more. pissed off with three rain interruptions. Only Bangladesh know how to set up a match from a simple task: score 116 runs in 12.4 overs to leapfrog Afghanistan and Australia in the race for the semi-finals, with the pitch improving markedly with time . Bangladesh lost two wickets in two balls, but Litton Das calmly stood guard throughout it all, reinforcing hopes of a likely comeback.
Rashid was calmer. Naveen-ul-haq delivered both of those blows early on, but at the heart of this epic victory was yet another classic spell from Rashid, which found its way to the heart of the Bangladeshi batter.
Rishad Hossain didn’t have the maturity to Google that, but each of the other three wickets was well deserved. Knocking down Soumya Sarkar with a derailer on a pitch where the ball was coming well to the bat was something only Rashid could have pulled off. Towhid Hridoy’s dismissal was superbly timed, asking him to go with the wind, but Hridoy couldn’t connect properly. Luring Mahmudullah – perhaps Bangladesh’s best spin player – with a fuller ball was also something only Rashid could have achieved.
The fact that most hitters still can’t read Rashid, even after a decade, is one of the greatest joys of watching him play. But that’s only part of the Rashid the world saw in the most important match of his career so far. Voice of reason, hope, inspiration, leader: Rashid was everything and more as he slowly forged a victory that could potentially change Afghanistan’s wheel of fortune.
Rashid can hit the ball long, but that 19 will find its place in Afghan cricket folklore purely because of the circumstances in which it arrived. An opening stand of fifty runs is normal when Afghanistan bat these days, but the runs were excruciatingly slow, with Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Ahmed and Shakib Al Hasan conceding just 48 runs in 12 overs. Sixty-six runs were bowled, the last of them coming against Rashid, but he more than made up for those three sixes.
No one else could have bowled that 13th over so well, thus eliminating Bangladesh. It was also a risky decision, as it meant going in with six overs still to play. But Rashid took the gamble. It was a roller coaster ride throughout. Rashid was animated, Dwayne Bravo couldn’t watch as coach Jonathan Trott asked everyone to slow down the game due to impending rain.
Bangladesh lost wickets but kept their hopes alive thanks to Das surviving a close test before the 16th over. Twelve from 12, and it couldn’t have come close, although entirely achievable from Bangladesh’s point of view since Das was still unbeaten. Another reprieve, this time Naveen failing to hold on to a third ball back in the 18th over, and Bangladesh would probably have breathed a sigh of relief.
But in the tumult, Das had scored a single to reach 54, putting Taskin on strike. Naveen bowled a slower one, prompting Taskin to go for it, but he only managed to clip the ball onto his stumps. The next ball, Naveen kept it straight and angled, trapping Mustafizur squarely to seal Afghanistan’s first entry into the World Cup semi-final, sparking wild scenes in the Afghan dugout.
Naveen launched into a long and winding victory sprint. Gurbaz burst into tears. Gulbadin Naib, showing no trace of the cramps that brought him to the ground in the 13th over, ran to collect one of the stumps. Rashid hugged everyone before being carried on their shoulders. It was his night; it was Afghanistan’s shining moment.