Afghanistan’s star all-rounder Rashid Khan turns 21 on Friday. Born on September 20, 1998, the leg-spinner is one of the best bowlers in the modern era. At the age where many cricketers are not able to make their international debut, Rashid is leading his national side in all three formats. The Nangarhar-born cricketer is a terrific leg-spinner, an explosive batsman and a gun fielder, which make him a vital cog in the Afghanistan side. Rashid first came into the limelight when he bowled some terrific spells in the ICC World T20 2016. A year later, the player got an IPL contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad and since then the player hasn’t looked back. Rashid Khan Becomes Youngest Test Captain During Afghanistan vs Bangladesh One-Off Test Match, Breaks Tatenda Taibu’s 15-Year-Old Record.

The leg-spinner has featured in 67 ODIs, in which he scalped 131 wickets that included four five-wicket hauls. He is also the fastest to reach the milestone of 100 ODI wickets landmark, the bowler achieved the prestigious feat in just 44 games. In T2OIs, the stalwart featured in 40 matches, in which he claimed 79 wickets. The Afghan skipper has also proved his mettle in his short Test career too. He has taken 20 wickets in just three Tests which consists of 3 five-fers. So, on the occasion of the leg-spinner’s 21st, let’s have a look at five staggering spells bowled by him. Afghanistan vs Bangladesh, One-Off Test: Rashid Khan Overtakes Imran Khan, Becomes Youngest Captain Ever to Score 50, Clinch 5 Wickets.

3/19 Against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata

Rashid Khan took the Knight Riders by storm in the second qualifier of IPL 2018. After playing a blistering cameo of 34 of 10 balls, Rashid assaulted the opposition with his bowling as well. The leg-spinner restricted the run-flow with his tight line and length, and also took wickets at regular intervals. The player’s all-round effort guided SRH to a 14 run victory and the team advanced to the finals of the tournament.

5/27 Against Ireland in Uttrakhand

The leg-spinner scripted history by bowling a sensational spell against Ireland in the third T20I in 2019. While defending a total of 210 in the second innings, Rashid scalped four wickets in four consecutive deliveries and became the second bowler to achieve the landmark after Lasith Malinga. The leg-spinner went on to take a five-fer and Ireland were restricted to 178 and the end of their 20 overs, which gave Afghanistan a 32 run victory.

3/19 Against Brisbane Heats in Brisbane

In the season opener of Big Bash League 2018-19, Rashid delivered a tremendous spell and rattled the Brisbane’s batting line-up. Playing for Adelaide Strikers, the youngster dried up the run-flow in the initial bowlers and displayed some great death bowling. The spell restricted the opposition to a mere 146 run in the first innings. The target didn’t trouble the Strikers and they clinched the match by five wickets.

7/18 Against West Indies in St. Lucia

In the first ODI of Afghanistan's 2017 Tour of West Indies, Rashid went through the Windies batting and bowled a jaw-dropping spell. Defending a small total of 212 runs, the leggie delivered a sensational spell and took as many as seven wickets in the game. The bowler’s terrific effort restricted the Men in Maroon to just 149 runs in the second innings which gave the visitors a thumping victory by 63 runs.

5/55 & 6/49 Against Bangladesh in Chittagong

The all-rounder was all over the hosts in his captaincy debut and registered many records. Rashid bowled with hostility in the first innings and backed a five-fer in order to restrict the Bangla Tigers to just 205 runs in the first innings. The bowler bettered his tally in the last innings of the match and took six wickets to bundle out Bangladesh for just 173 runs. Rashid also scored a half-century in the match as Afghanistan registered a comfortable victory by 224 runs.

The 21-year-old is currently leading the Afghanistan side in the T20I tri-series in Bangladesh. The tournament is currently dominated by Afghanistan only as they won both their matches and have secured a place in the final. The leg-spinner will aim to continue his purple patch and guide Afghanistan to the title.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 20, 2019 12:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).