Rashid Khan has pulled out of the Hundred on the eve of the UK-based 100-ball tournament due to an undisclosed injury.
Rashid was the marquee player in this year’s franchise tournament that is run by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
He had been signed for a three-match stint with Trent Rockets and had been due to play on Tuesday, in The Hundred’s opening night match against Southern Brave.
After playing for MI New York in Major League Cricket in the US in the final against Seattle Orcas in Dallas on Sunday night, Rashid announced his withdrawal.
Rashid said: “I’m really disappointed to have to withdraw from The Hundred through injury. It’s been great to play in the competition the first two years.”
Concerns have been raised in recent weeks about Rashid’s risk of injury due to his relentless schedule. In the last eight months, Rashid has played 69 games for eight different teams in eight different countries, across innings lasting 10, 20 and 50 overs.
Since the start of the COVID pandemic, he has played 199 games with full T20 status, the most of any player in the world.
Two weeks ago, Rashid played a T20I in Sylhet, Bangladesh one day, and in Major League Cricket in Dallas, Texas the next. “Straightaway, from the ground, I went to the airport then flew from Sylhet to Dhaka, Dhaka to Qatar, Qatar to here,” he told Espncricinfo. “I reached the hotel, I took a shower and changed in 15 minutes, went to the meeting, then straight away to the game.”
For the 24-year-old spin wizard, who has already played more than 500 professional games, he did however miss two ODIs for Afghanistan against Sri Lanka last month due to a back injury.
Hopefully now, he will have a brief opportunity to rest before playing a series for Afghanistan against Pakistan heading into the Asia Cup and World Cup.
Hopefully now, he will have a brief opportunity to rest before playing a series for Afghanistan against Pakistan heading into the Asia Cup and World Cup.
