He was bowling with a decent pace and majorly targeted the stumps.
Gujarat Titans and Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan struggled with his rhythm since his return from a back and hamstring injury he had sustained during the T20 World Cup 2024. He made a comeback in January 2025, featuring in the second Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, where the leg-spinner was adjudged Player of the Match for taking 11 wickets in 55 overs.
However, the physical toll of that effort was apparent in his underwhelming performance in the Champions Trophy and the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. He managed just one wicket in three matches of the CT25, averaging 125.00 and leaking runs at 6.25. Retained for INR 18 crores, Rashid delivered his worst IPL numbers, taking nine wickets in 15 matches at an average of 57.11 and an economy of 9.34. The 26-year-old then withdrew his name from the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 to focus on recovery.
After the forgettable run, Rashid finally returned to form in The Hundred 2025. He is currently the joint second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 12 wickets despite leaving for a national duty. The right-arm spinner has now carried his form in the T20I tri-series 2025 featuring hosts UAE and Pakistan.
With the T20 World Cup 2026 looming closer, the ongoing T20I tri-series and Asia Cup 2025 are going to be crucial for Afghanistan. Rashid, who was exceptional in The Hundred, was searching for his bowling form in international cricket, having last played in the Champions Trophy 2025. Playing in the first T20I against Pakistan, Rashid did what he does best, giving some positive signs before the Asia Cup.
Apart from two sixes hit by Pakistan captain Salman Agha, Rashid pitched everything on the money. He was bowling with a decent pace and majorly targeted the stumps, as he always does. The leg-spinner mixed his deliveries, inducing false shots.
The spinner picked up a wicket of opener Saim Ayub in his four-over spell, conceding just 26 runs at an economy of 6.50. He bowled 11 dot balls; that is almost two overs. While Rashid Khan struggled significantly with the ball before The Hundred, he was excellent with the bat. Coming to bat at number eight and the team reeling at 97/7, needing 87 runs off 35 balls, the Afghan skipper had no option other than to start hitting from ball one.
The right-hand batter displayed his ability to play cameos down the order. He gave his side fleeting hope with a delightfully entertaining 16-ball 39 runs with five towering sixes and a boundary, striking at 243.75. However, his effort wasn’t enough, as Afghanistan had drifted far out of the game by then and struggled to swim its way back into it.
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Despite Rashid’s exceptional spell, coupled with Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s economical outing (2/22 in 4 overs), it wasn’t enough to restrict Pakistan from posting a fighting 182/7 total. Captain Salman Agha scored a brisk fifty while others chipped in with short but impactful knocks. Agha took on Afghanistan’s talisman, whacking a couple of sixes towards fine leg in an over that leaked 17. Pakistan scored 99 in the final nine overs, thanks to its smart hitting against arguably the best T20I spinner in the world at the moment.
Chasing 183, Afghanistan were off to a decent start, nicely placed at 93 for two off 11 overs, and Agha brought Haris Rauf into the attack. Bowling with raw pace and touching 150 km/h every now and then, Rauf bowled a stupendous double-wicket maiden over to put Pakistan in the driver’s seat. The Afghanistan batting started to collapse like a house of cards, as they lost five wickets for just four runs and saw themselves reeling at 97/7 from 93/2.
Though Rashid launched an attack later in the innings, Afghanistan were too far behind in the game. The Rashid Khan-led side was bowled out for 143 with a ball to spare, and Pakistan won by 39 runs. Rauf finished with four wickets for 31 runs, while Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Nawaz, and Sufiyan Muqeem took two wickets apiece.
