London: Afghanistan teenage leg spin ace Rashid Khan is being courted by two English counties according to Wednesday’s Daily Mail.
The 18-year-old — who earlier this month produced the fourth best bowling figures ever in ODI cricket, taking seven for 18 to destroy the West Indies batting line-up in Saint Lucia — has taken 63 wickets in 29 ODI’s and 42 in 27 Twenty20 appearances for his country.
However, according to the newspaper the problem regarding Khan — who is higher than any of the English bowlers in both the International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI and T20 rankings — is whether he passes strict work visa regulations.
To this end the domestic sport’s governing body the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have enquired of the British Home office whether the term ‘elite level’ which usually covers those foreign players from Test playing countries.
Afghanistan now having been welcomed into that group — along with Ireland they were voted in by the ICC last Thursday — the ECB wishes to know whether he is now eligible or whether Afghanistan must play a Test match before he is deemed to be.
