A Chink In Armour: Rashid's Past Record Vs SL Concerns AFG Before Asia Cup Match

Soumyajit Dutta

Rashid Khan [Source: @kabir_kalat/X.com]Rashid Khan [Source: @kabir_kalat/X.com]

Rashid Khan, the Afghanistan skipper, stands to be one of the most formidable players in the Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka clash in the 2025 Asia Cup. He can be a worrying sign for Sri Lanka, yet the spin maestro's T20I stats against the Lankans say something else.

The upcoming fixture is a high-stakes battle which will determine whether Afghanistan stays in contention or not. Rashid's bowling will be a crucial factor in determining so, by restricting the run flow of Sri Lanka to get better chances at qualifying for the Asia Cup Super 4 stage. So, ahead of the battle, let's take a look at how he fared against the team.

What are Rashid Khan's stats against Sri Lanka in T20Is?

Rashid Khan first bowled to Sri Lanka in 2016 in a T20I match, and it saw an average outing where he bagged just one wicket. In total, he played four T20I matches against Sri Lanka, with the last one being in 2022, three years back. While his economy rate against the team seems controlled with 6.81, his strike rate of 24 indicates that he struggles to make an impact with the ball in these contests.

Criterion
Value
Matches4
Wickets4
Economy Rate6.81
Strike Rate24
Best Figures2/31

(Table - Rashid Khan's T20I stats against Sri Lanka)

Rashid Khan last played a match in the UAE against Sri Lanka, at Sharjah, where he picked just one wicket, and a game against them in Dubai saw him go wicketless. These are indeed worrying signs for Afghanistan, as the team will need their skipper to step up to the occasion and be the wrecker-in-chief.

Analysing Rashid's best spell in T20Is vs Sri Lanka

Where his best T20I spell stands with figures of 5/3 against Ireland, the Afghani mystery spinner has a best figure of 2/31 against Sri Lanka back in November 2022 at Brisbane. Though he scalped 2 wickets in the match, it was in vain as Sri Lanka cruised to victory comfortably while chasing Afghanistan's 145. 

Rashid Khan giving away 31 runs is also a point of concern since it indicates he received a moderate amount of beating from Sri Lankan batters from his 4 overs. Hence, his best-ever T20I performance against Sri Lanka can also be questioned.

Rashid Khan's best spells in Asia Cup

Opponent
Wickets
Runs Conceded
Economy Rate
Bangladesh3225.5
UAE3256.25
Hong Kong2103.33

(Table - Rashid Khan's Best T20I Spells in Asia Cup)

Rashid Khan, however, boasts a great spell against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup T20, where he scalped 3 wickets for just 22 runs from his 4 overs. It underlines his lethality with the spin at Sharjah. Against the UAE, back in 2016, Rashid bagged three wickets by giving away just 25 runs.

All these match stats show his ability to restrict the run flow and hit at crucial points to break long-standing partnerships.

Bottom Line

For a spin hero like Rashid Khan, who has 173 wickets from 102 T20I matches, his stats against Sri Lanka are not very impressive. Though he boasts big numbers in the Men's T20 Asia Cup, his data against Sri Lanka is not something to be very proud of.

With Sri Lanka having key batters like Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka, who play spin well, Rashid's spin threat might be tested on a spin-friendly Abu Dhabi pitch.