The 26-year-old Afghanistan National Cricket Team superstar Rashid Khan has made a colossal retirement declaration, stating that he wishes to play an international game in his homeland before saying goodbye to cricket.
Afghanistan has not hosted any international cricket matches within its own territory due to security issues and political instability in the country.
Over the years, several international matches have been assigned to Afghanistan to play at home, but things have not materialized, and ACB acts as hosts while their home matches are played in the UAE or India.
In the latest Future Tours Program (FTP), Afghanistan are set to host West Indies and New Zealand in their homeland in January and February, and if the Men In Maroon and the Kiwis travel to the country, it will be a historic occasion for the Afghans.
Speaking to The National during an event in Dubai, Rashid Khan said that playing an international match in Afghanistan would be a dream-come-true moment for him, but was pessimistic about it happening anytime soon.
“That's in FTP for now. But when the time comes, it’s only then you will know whether it’s happening. There have been so many games scheduled in Afghanistan in the FTP over the years, but have never taken place. But hopefully it happens. It's good for cricket and good for Afghanistan," Rashid Khan said.
“Well, if it eventually happens, that will be a kind of dream to play international cricket in Afghanistan. I hope that comes before I retire from the sport. That's something which I dream of – playing in front of my home crowd. So, hopefully, that happens in the future," he added.
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As a team, we have just kept going and going - Rashid Khan
Afghanistan have emerged as the second-best team in Asia in the last few years, and they are no longer considered minnows.
The Afghans have played a terrific brand of cricket against the top teams in the world, and they even made it to the semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 by beating Australia in the league stage.
Rashid Khan called the T20 World Cup 2024 performance one of the top achievements of Afghanistan and said that it gave them a lot of confidence. He said:
“It’s something that gave us so much confidence. I think that has given us so much positive energy. As a team, we have just kept going and going, and we have supported that confidence.
“We're not getting enough cricket you want as a nation, especially against the big sides. The more opportunities you get, the better you get.”
The T20s in Pakistan is a great preparation for us leading to the Asia Cup - Rashid Khan
Afghanistan will be aiming to deliver a good performance in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, and the series against Pakistan will help them prepare for the tournament.
“The T20s in Pakistan is a great preparation for us leading to the Asia Cup, if it happens. As a team, we played lots of great cricket in the last two to three years and we need to continue that good form, good cricket and more importantly, those efforts," Rashid Khan said.
Rashid Khan, who is arguably the best T20 cricketer in the world, has seen a slight downfall in his career since facing injury issues last year. Overall, he has bagged 45 Test wickets, 199 ODI wickets, and 161 T20I wickets for Afghanistan in his career.
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