Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has cleared his intentions to feature in the upcoming season of the Big Bash League (BBL) giving a huge boost to Cricket Australia. He had threatened to not play in the T20 tournament after Australia had withdrawn from the scheduled ODI series against Afghanistan on human rights grounds. Rashid wasn't impressed with the fact that the team from down under had cancelled the series against them citing Taliban's ban on university education for girls in the country as reason.
Rashid Khan had made it clear then publicly that he wouldn't want to make anyone uncomfortable by playing in BBL. Along with him, even the other players had threatened to quit featuring in the Australian T20 competition. "I am really disappointed to hear that Australia have pulled out of the series to play us in March. If playing Afghanistan is so uncomfortable for Australia, then I wouldn't want to make anyone uncomfortable with my presence in the BBL. Therefore, I will be strongly considering my future in that competition," Rashid had said at the time.
However, a lot of water seems to have flown since that incident and the 24-year-old seems set to nominate his name in the BBL overseas draft according to AAP. Along with Rashid Khan, even his fellow Afghanistan players - Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmed and Izharulhaq Naveed - have nominated for the draft.
As for Rashid, Adelaide Strikers will get the first chance to pick him in the draft who are expected to retain the leg-spinner. He is likely to play at least the first seven matches of the tournament before flying out to play in the second edition of SA20 where Rashid is already signed to feature for MI Cape Town.
