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Afg vs SA – Shot at history kept Rashid Khan on the field despite hamstring problem

“I have a hamstring injury, I had it a month ago as well, quite unfortunate, but I tried my best to stay on the ground till the end, tried my best to do as much as I could for the team,” Rashid said after the huge 177-run win in Sharjah was sealed. “Big opportunity for us as a team, you know, to win the series against a big team and that’s what I had in mind, my contribution will be key, so I have to go and stay till the end.”

Rashid has been plagued by injuries of late. Hamstring problems ruled him out for the final week of the Hundred in August, before he returned home to play Afghanistan’s domestic T20s, the Shpageeza Cricket League, and suffered a back injury. He missed the one-off – and cancelled – Test against New Zealand. This ODI series will in fact be his first cricket in either of the two longer formats since the 2023 ODI World Cup in India last November. After that World Cup, Rashid underwent surgery on his back and was sidelined for four months.

On Friday, Rashid’s 26th birthday, he was batting when his hamstring problems flared up again. He came out in the 47th over, ran a two first ball and immediately needed the attention of the physiotherapist. He kept batting, though, and finished sixth not out from 12. Would he come back to bowl?

“We had a great chance to win a series against South Africa and I think the love of this game just drives you to play, no matter how (difficult) it is and I thought I could play, I could bowl, I could stay in the field until the end, why not, I had to go for it,” Rashid said. “Good job to the physio as well, to get me ready and perform for the team.”

Afghanistan had another injury problem that night, with half-centurion Rahmat Shah going off in the 21st over with what appeared to be cramps. That also turned out to be a hamstring problem. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi hoped it wasn’t too serious.

“I spoke to him, he is good inshallah“Maybe he will play the next game,” Shahidi said at the post-match presentation. “But he wasn’t feeling well before that either, he had a hamstring problem, hopefully he’ll be OK and play the next game.”

Afghanistan finished the series 2-0 but have a third match, also in Sharjah, on Sunday. After that they will have a break, with their next scheduled cricket match – as things stand – an all-format tour of Zimbabwe in December-January.