Afghanistan's Rashid longs for more test opportunities

NEW DELHI : Star Afghan spinner Rashid Khan longs for opportunities to play test matches against top teams but is content plying his trade in franchise cricket until that happens, the 23-year-old told Reuters on Friday.

Rashid has played all five of Afghanistan's tests since the country was granted full membership of the governing International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2017.

They were scheduled to play a one-off test in Hobart in November but Cricket Australia postponed the match citing uncertainty over the future of women's cricket under Afghanistan's Taliban rule.

Rashid lamented missing out on an opportunity to test his craft against the likes of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.

"As a player, it disappoints you because you always wait for opportunities to play big teams," the leg-spinner, currently playing for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League, told Reuters by telephone.

"It's about improving your cricket and learning new things.

"We all were looking forward to it but sometimes things do not go your way. I hope we get the opportunity to play them soon."

A sought-after name in Twenty20 leagues across the world, Rashid knows playing test cricket was imperative to grow as a bowler.

"You want to bowl long spells to learn more about your bowling. I do hope we get the opportunity in the next few years to play more test matches."

Rashid has set alight franchise cricket in India, Australia, England, West Indies and Pakistan with his feisty leg-spin and believes the experience would stand him in good stead even in tests.

"Wickets and conditions vary from country to country. You have to think differently and that adds something extra to your game," he explained.

"That experience makes you mentally very strong. It has helped