ICC cricket

It is only fitting that Afghanistan's first ever T20 International against Australia will take place in a city Rashid Khan has forged lasting connections ...

"But at the same time (we) know the conditions, know the wicket, know the preparation for that ground, so I hope we are well prepared for that and we have a good day of cricket." "I'll always have that belief in my skills, in the talent that I have, and one thing that is always in my mind is just to keep it simple and hit that right area consistently. "I never think about what's the planning of the batsman, what he's going to do - it's his job, and he has to think about it. "Plus, if they're not picking him through the air, they have to wait for it to come off the pitch and it's very difficult to play a bowler of Rashid's pace and skill - with his ability to spin the ball both ways - if you're reading him off the pitch." "He's got that great skill in that he can spin the ball both ways and he bowls fast, but it's his management of length – hitting just below the top of the stumps – and the fact he consistently hits a 'shoe box' on that length. "Definitely there will be support for Afghanistan and we won't feel that we are playing in Australia, we will have that feeling that it's a kind of Afghanistan home game.