Rashid Khan rips apart the West Indian batting line-up to hand a massive victory to Afghanistan

West Indies narrowly missed out on the opportunity to play in the second Champions Trophy, after missing out on a top 8 finish in the International Cricket Council’s ODI Rankings just before the tournament. Bangladesh made their way ahead of the side from the Caribbean.

The side from the Caribbean is currently hosting the Asian nation Afghanistan in a 3-match ODI series, following the win in the T20 series against them. The away nation won the toss and elected to bat on a sluggish wicket.

Batting first, the Afghanistan side made a total of 212 in their 50 overs with the loss of six wickets, with a high score of 81 from the opener Javed Ahmadi and a late onslaught from Gulbadin Naib. In pursuit, the West Indies failed to read the right-hand of Afghanistan’s leggie Rashid Khan, who split the team into halves.

The leggie was fresh from his exploits in the Indian Premier League with the Sunrisers Hyderabad, where the bowler grew not only in stature but also grew in confidence with the ball in his hand. Rashid was called upon to bowl in the 23rd over of the innings when the West Indies were 68/2.

At 68/2, the match seemed to be going in the home side’s favor before the very first delivery from the leggie which spun just past Jason Mohammed’s outside edge for a simple catch at slip. Rashid followed his first delivery with a googly of its kind catching the incoming batsman Roston Chase flummoxed in front of the crease.

Another pair of wickets for Rashid

The home side faltered to a score of 68/4 within two deliveries, with the leggie accounting for another wicket in his next over, this time thanks to a wonderful catch from Nabi at first slip. West Indies were reduced to halves for a score of 70. Just as in his first over, Rashid struck in back-to-back deliveries with the wicket of Jason Holder for his fourth wicket.

In his 24th delivery, Rashid struck again for the fifth time with the wicket of Ashley Nurse. The leggie completed the rout with the wickets of Alzarri Joseph and Miguel Cummins in his 8th and 9th over of the innings, leaving the arena with figures of 7/18 which is also the best for any associate bowler in ODI history.

Watch his spell here

Rashid Khan everybody #Phenompic.twitter.com/c25hEuKoOm

— Andrew Leonard (@CricketBadge) June 10, 2017