Rashid Khan set for maiden England stint with Sussex

New Delhi: Afghanistan’s spin sensation Rashid Khan has signed a deal with Sussex and is set to feature for the club in the first half of the NatWest T20 Blast campaign.

The leggie, who was snapped up by IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad for whopping 9 crores, has established himself as one of the finest spinners in world cricket. The Afghan cricketer is also the ranked second on the ICC ranking for T20 bowlers.

The19-year-old had an amazing BBL season as he guided Adelaide Strikers to victory, clinching 18 wickets in 11 matches (joint-highest).

Sussex coach Jason Gillespie coached Rashid Khan during his time with the Adelaide based franchise said, “His form for Afghanistan and the T20 teams he has played for over the last couple of years has been phenomenal. I have been incredibly impressed with his attitude, work ethic and team-first mentality."

Afghanistan inflicted T20 series whitewash on Zimbabwe with their win 17 runs in the second encounter and Rashid played an instrumental role, picking five wickets in 2 games.

"It has always been an ambition of mine to play county cricket and the fact I get to link up again with Dizzy [Gillespie] is very exciting," said Rashid.

I have heard a lot of good things about Sussex and am excited to join a talented squad and I hope to help the team push for T20 silverware," added the 19-year-old.