Due to injury concerns Afghanistan Premium allrounder Rashid Khan has withdrawn himself from upcoming t20i Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9th edition which is starting from 17th February. Soon after the 50-Over world cup 2023 campaign he travelled to England for surgery in the lower-back and since then he has been out of international cricket.
Rashid Khan being a world’s top allrounder has been an integral part of Lahore Qalandars from last three seasons and also played his integral part to win titles for his team in the 2022 and 2023 edition. However, due to recovery concerns from his ongoing injury, he would not be part of this PSL 9th edition which is indeed a big blow to Lahore Qalandars team.
In the December 2023 draft, the Leg-spinner was retained by Lahore Qalandars in the “Silver” category with the thinking that he may not be available in this 9th edition but then could be retained for future editions. PSL 9th edition is not only the franchise league which he skipped, he has also skipped Big Bash League (BBL) and South Africa League (SA20).
Afghanistan’s head coach Jonathan Trott said, “We are making sure that we are really careful with his back. He is such an important player for us. When he is ready, he would be the first player to be on the field. He has got a few more appointments and check ups to make sure he is fully fit. I hope he will be playing soon but yes there is no rush and pressure to get him fit”.
Rashid Khan’s last appearance in international cricket was back on November 10, 2023, in an odi world cup match against South Africa. In the recent past, Rashid Khan travelled to India with Afghanistan team to play 3-match T20i series but as he has not fully recovered yet so he did not play in all three matches.
The 25-Year old Leg-spinner is expected to be fully fit before this Year’s Indian Premier league (IPL) and before that if he gets fully fit in a few days time then he would also be available in the upcoming Afghanistan vs Ireland multi format series in UAE, which is starting from February 28.