Rashid Khan included in ICC’s ODI squad of the year

KABUL’s teenage spin sensation Rashid Khan has been included in men’s ODI team of the year announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Virat Kohli of India has been named captain of both Test and ODI sides following a remarkable 2018 as batsman and skipper. Three players each from England and India are part of the ODI squad.

In 2018, an ICC statement said, Rashid Khan continued to impress and finished the year as the leading wicket-taker in ODIs with a grand total of 48 scalps at 14.45.

While conceding runs at a miserly 3.89, Rashid went wicketless in only one of his 20 bowling innings. “Apart from the Asia Cup, he was also the joint-leading wicket-taker in the Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

According to the statement, Rashid helped Afghanistan grab a berth in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in 2019.

The ICC ODI team of the year comprised of Sharma (India), Jonny Bairstow (England), Virat Kohli (India), Joe Root (England), Ross Taylor (New Zealand), Jos Buttler (England), Ben Stokes (England), Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Kuldeep Yadav (India) and Jasprit Bumrah (India).

Kohli scored 1,322 runs at an average of 55.08 with five centuries in 13 Tests and 1,202 runs at an average of 133.55 with six hundreds in 14 ODIs. He ended 2018 as the top-ranked Test and ODI batsman in the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings.

pr/mud