Rashid Khan

National Team: Afghanistan National Cricket Team ( TEST ODI T20I )

Domestic Team: Band-e-amir Dragons ( T20 )

Domestic Team: Adelaide Strikers ( T20 )

Domestic Team: Sussex cricket team ( FC LO T20 )

Domestic Team: Lahore Qalandars ( T20 )

Date of Birth: 20.09.1998

Batting Style: Right Hand

Role: Bowler

Bowling Style: Right-arm Leg Spin

Batting

Pos. Score

Bowling

Pos. Score

All-rounder

Pos. Score

Test Rankings

142 200

55 382

55 76

ODI Rankings

123 362

-1 710

5 257

T20I Rankings

198 244

2 753

13 183

Rashid Khan – The Best Bowler Of Modern Afghanistan

Rashid Khan is an Afghan international cricketer, a former captain of the national T20 side, and its key bowler. Rashid made history as the youngest player ever to rise to No. 1 in the ICC ODI bowling rankings, and he has gone on to prove his elite class time and again by returning to the top of world cricket. In this short feature, we invite you to take a closer look at his biography and unique achievements.

Rashid Khan: Biography And Sporting Career

Rashid Khan (full name: Rashid Khan Arman) was born on September 20, 1998, in the rural district of Bati Kot in eastern Afghanistan, into a large Pashtun family. His childhood fell during a prolonged period of military conflict in the region, which forced the family, who were raising 11 children, to search for safety in Jalalabad. Around 2003, Rashid and his family were compelled to emigrate to Peshawar, Pakistan, where they spent the next eight years as refugees before finally getting the chance to return home.

It was during this difficult stretch that cricket became young Rashid’s way of escaping the harsh reality around him and the social restrictions of the time. Still, his parents, worried about the children’s safety, did not encourage them to play outside the house. In an interview with the digital publication The Cricket Monthly, the cricketer himself recalled that chapter of his life like this:

“Those times made me a proper cricketer. I was not allowed to go outside and play with friends. My family said, anything can happen outside, you better focus on your studies, and if you want to play cricket, better play with your brothers at home.”

Peshawar in 2013 became the launchpad for Rashid Khan’s career. It was there, at the local Islamia College, that the 15-year-old came under the guidance of coach Ali Hoti. Hoti not only spotted his potential as a bowler but also gave him the structured training he had never had before.

After returning to Afghanistan as a teenager, Rashid settled in Kabul to chase his sporting ambitions. The move to the capital opened the door to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) academy, where intense training was combined with compulsory general education at school.

By 2014, Rashid Khan was already representing Afghanistan’s Under-19 side. In the ACC Under-19 Premier League match against Malaysia on November 9, 2014, he took 6/13 and was named Player of the Match, a breakthrough that became an important stepping stone toward his debut for the senior national team in 2015.

In October 2015, at the age of 17, Rashid Khan made his first appearance for the senior national side in matches against Zimbabwe, debuting in two formats right away: ODI and T20I (his Test debut came on June 14, 2018). Although he did not post major individual numbers at the very start of his international career, just two seasons later he became the first player ever to take five wickets in just two overs in a T20I against Ireland. That same year, he was named ICC Associate Cricketer of the Year. What followed was a rapid rise that took his career to another level. Unfortunately, the format of this article does not allow us to tell the whole story, so let’s focus on the brightest milestones:

• 2016: played in the T20 World Cup and finished second among all players for wickets taken in the tournament (behind Mohammad Nabi);
• 2018: Rashid became the youngest player in history to top the ICC bowling rankings in both ODI and T20I cricket. He was also appointed captain of the national team;
• 2019: in a T20I against Ireland, he took 4 wickets in 4 balls, an achievement only a select few in cricket history have managed;
• 2020: the International Cricket Council (ICC) officially named Rashid Khan the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade;
• 2022: as vice-captain of the Gujarat Titans franchise, Rashid helped lead the team to the Indian Premier League title in its debut season.

As of now, Rashid Khan remains one of the most in-demand figures in world cricket, although his role in the national side has recently changed in a major way. In early March 2026, Rashid was removed as T20I captain after Afghanistan failed to get out of the group stage at the 2026 World Cup, losing to New Zealand and South Africa. The captaincy was handed over to Ibrahim Zadran. Despite the team’s disappointing campaign, Rashid himself crossed the historic mark of 700 wickets at the 2026 World Cup, combining his totals for national and franchise cricket.

In 2026, the geography of Rashid Khan’s appearances also shifted due to a new ACB policy limiting players to no more than three overseas leagues per year. For the current season, the athlete selected his priority destinations: the IPL (Gujarat Titans), the BBL (Adelaide Strikers), and the MLC (MI New York). Domestic cricket still holds a special place in his schedule as well: Rashid remains a key bowler for Band-e-Amir Dragons in the national Shpageeza tournament and is also preparing for the launch of the revived Afghan Premier League (APL).

Rashid Khan: Personal Life And Interesting Facts

As for the cricketer’s personal life, Rashid Khan got married in Kabul on October 3, 2024. On the very same day, three of his brothers — Amir Khalil, Zakiullah and Raza Khan — also tied the knot. His wife was his maternal cousin, and the ceremony was held in line with Pashtun traditions. However, the marriage sadly did not last long. As early as November 2025, the athlete officially confirmed rumors about his second marriage, which had started circulating after he appeared with an unknown woman at a charity event in the Netherlands. On his Instagram, he clarified that he had performed nikah (an Islamic marriage ceremony) on August 2, 2025. There is no publicly confirmed information about his children.

To wrap things up, here is a short list of interesting facts about the cricketer, along with his playing statistics:

• Rashid came up with his signature “airplane” celebration, running with his arms spread wide, at the request of his nephews, who wanted to see something special every time he took a wicket;
• Rashid is the sixth of 11 children in a large Pashtun family that owned a tire business in Jalalabad;
• As a child, he dreamed of becoming a doctor. That was his family’s main expectation, especially his mother’s;
• Rashid Khan founded the Rashid Khan Foundation, a charity that supports Afghan children and vulnerable families.

Rashid runs his social media himself or with a small team (Instagram: @rashid.khan19, X (Twitter): @rashidkhan_19, and Facebook: Rashid Khan – Official Page). The content feels sincere, modest, and free of unnecessary glamor: plenty of posts about Afghanistan, gratitude, motivation, helping people and, of course, cricket.