Rashid Khan snubbed T20 cricket stalwarts like CSK skipper MS Dhoni and MI skipper Rohit Sharma as he picked his top 5 players in the shortest format of the game.
Afghanistan leg spinner Rashid Khan remains one of the toughest white-ball bowlers to play against in the world. Rated among the best spinners in the world, Rashid Khan has been a top bowler in the T20 format. Having undone some of the finest batsmen in world cricket with his bowling, Rashid Khan has won the praise of many.
Rashid Khan Picks 5 Cricketers Finest In 20 Over Format, Leaving Out Rohit Sharma, And MS Dhoni
However, there are many cricketers who have also impressed Rashid Khan with their performances in the shortest format of the game. Speaking to ICC, Rashid Khan picked 5 cricketers who are the finest in the 20-over format, according to him.
1. Virat Kohli: The Indian cricket team captain and RCB skipper, who won’t skip beyond T20I WC and IPL 2021, respectively, is widely recognized as one of the finest batsmen the world has ever seen. Irrespective of the red ball or white-ball cricket, Virat Kohli knows exactly how to manipulate bowlers.
When it comes to the T20 format, Virat Kohli has 10,136 runs to his name at an average of 41.20 and a strike rate of 133.57. However, when it comes to T20Is, Virat Kohli is the top-scoring batter in the world with 3158 runs to his name at a mind-boggling average of 52.65 and a strike rate of 139.04.
“Doesn’t really depend on the wicket, doesn’t matter whatever the wicket is, he is someone who is going to step up and perform,” Rashid Khan was quoted as saying by t20worldcup.com.
Virat Kohli goes into his fourth T20 World Cup campaign for India, having been crowned the Player of the Tournament at each of the past two events.
2. Kane Williamson: Another batsman who is a specialist across all three formats. Kane Williamson and Rashid Khan have played together with each other for several years at the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). In the T20 format, Kane Williamson has 5429 runs to his name at an average of 31.47 and a strike rate of 124.86.
With 11 50+ scores from just 49 T20Is as captain, Kane Williamson has thrived as skipper. He was particularly impressive at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2016, where he led New Zealand to the semi-finals. No team adjusted to India’s slow, turning wickets more impressively at that tournament than the Black Caps.
3. AB de Villiers: A true legend in the shortest format, another RCB batsman AB de Villiers is a man virtually every bowler in the world gets nervous against. Even after retiring from international cricket, AB de Villiers mesmerises fans with batting in franchise cricket. The Proteas stalwart has 9424 runs in T20 cricket at an average of 37.24 and a strike rate of 150.13.
“A destructive batsman,” Khan said about ABD. “Someone who can give you quick runs at any stage, any wicket, against any bowler and he can play any shot. As a captain, you will always love to have that batsman.”
The South African has been crowned Player of the Match 42 times in T20s – a mark bettered only by Chris Gayle in men’s cricket.
Rashid Khan Picks Mumbai Indians’ Kieron Pollard And Hardik Pandya To Chase 80-90 In The Last 4-5 Overs
4. Kieron Pollard: A veteran of the game, who hasn’t just delivered on a consistent basis with the bat but also with the ball. He is a T20 specialist who has a whopping 11,236 runs to his name in the shortest format at an average of 31.56 and a strike rate of 152.62. Only Chris Gayle (14,276) has scored more than Kieron Pollard’s 11,236 T20 runs. Those runs have come fast, too, with his strike rate of 152.62, the best of anyone among the top 40 run-scorers.
On top of that, he’s also taken 300 wickets in the format. He stunningly has 300 wickets in his kitty, with the ball at 24.75 and a fine economy rate of 8.21. When it comes to the 20-over format, no player in the world has played more T20s than Kieron Pollard (568).
5. Hardik Pandya: Another all-rounder in the list, Hardik Pandya might not be bowling at present, but he still remains one of the most fearsome all-rounders in T20 cricket. Still just 28, Hardik Pandya has 2728 runs at an average of 27.28 and a strike rate of 141.49 to his name. With the ball, Hardik Pandya has 110 wickets to his name at 27.45 at an economy rate of 8.14.
“These two will be my key (batters) who can chase 80-90 when I need them in the last four-five overs,” Rashid said of Pollard and Pandya. “They are the kind of batsmen who can do the job for you easily.”
The leg-spinner Rashid Khan turned in a few memorable match-winning efforts in SRH’s journey to the finals of the 2018 edition. He took 21 wickets and emerged as the second-highest wicket-taker in that edition.
He has 93 scalps in 76 IPL games averaging a mere 20.55 at an economic rate of 6.33- the lowest economy rate ever in IPL history. He has taken 17 scalps in 2017, 21 in 2018, 17 in 2019, 20 in 2020, and 18 in IPL 2021, a testimony to why he is rated as the most consistent T20 bowler in IPL history.