Iceland Cricket mocks Rashid Khan over his expensive spell; cricketers defend him

England, on Tuesday, thrashed Afghanistan by 150 runs in yet another one-sided affair in the ongoing World Cup. While England were the clear favorites for the clash, not many would have expected such a one-sided contest. And one of the biggest talking points of the game was the way England treated Rashid Khan. One of the best bowlers in the world at the moment, Rashid was taken to cleaners by the fancied hosts.

It was definitely Rashid’s worst day on the field as almost nothing went his way. After conceding a decent 29 runs from his first four overs, Rashid ended up conceding a staggering 81 runs from his last five overs. He ended the game with figures of 110 for no wicket from 9 overs. His spell is now the costliest in the history of World Cup. Rashid also became the first spinner to concede more than 100 runs in an ODI.

For a bowler, who is used to achieving historic feats every now and then, Tuesday was nothing less than a nightmare. To make things worse, he is being widely trolled on social media. The opportunists are using the rare opportunity to take a shot at Rashid. Well, the Afghanistan star has received some much-needed support from his fellow cricketers during the tough times.

Cricketers leap in defence of Rashid Khan

Cricket stars like Luke Wright, Stuart Broad, and other big names joined in to slam the trolls and support Rashid. Luke Wright started it when he came across a tweet from Iceland Cricket that mocked Rashid for his poor display.

“We’ve just heard that Rashid Khan has scored Afghanistan’s first century of the #CWC19! Wow! 110 from 56 balls. The most runs ever scored by a bowler in the World Cup or something. Well batted young man. #ENGvAFG #AFGvENG,” read the tweet from Iceland Cricket.

We’ve just heard that Rashid Khan has scored Afghanistan’s first century of the #CWC19! Wow! 110 from 56 balls. The most runs ever scored by a bowler in the World Cup or something. Well batted young man. #ENGvAFG #AFGvENG pic.twitter.com/3vklzCeIJt

— Iceland Cricket (@icelandcricket) June 18, 2019

Furious with the tweet, Luke Wright replied, “Rubbish tweet. Rather than trying to be funny why not be respectful to someone that has done so much for cricket and especially associate members”

Rubbish tweet. Rather than trying to be funny why not be respectful to someone that has done so much for cricket and especially associate members ???? https://t.co/0z3F8KiS82

— Luke Wright (@lukewright204) June 18, 2019

Stuart Broad jumped in the discussion too as he too lauded Rashid and defended him, writing, “He is a world class bowler & a delight to watch. Everyone has bad days in our sport”

He is a world class bowler & a delight to watch. Everyone has bad days in our sport

— Stuart Broad (@StuartBroad8) June 18, 2019

There was support from the likes of Jofra Archer and Ish Sodhi too. Jofra re-tweeted the Iceland Cricket’s tweet and called it terrible.

Terrible tweet https://t.co/3ybKo3pKcE

— Jofra Archer (@JofraArcher) June 18, 2019

On the other hand, Ish agreed with Wright and pointed out Rashid’s contribution to the game.

Agreed. Setting the bench mark for Leg Spin Bowlers around the world he is… @rashidkhan_19 https://t.co/1lsPXNGjzZ

— Ish Sodhi (@ish_sodhi) June 18, 2019