BBL 12 - Rashid Khan Has Fun Sledging Mic’d Up

Today was a special day at the 2022/23 Big Bash League because there was a double header on New Year’s Eve. In the first game, Sydney Thunder put up 220+ and defended it quite easily and in the second game of the day, we had Melbourne Stars vs Adelaide Strikers. And here, spin wizard Rashid Khan from Afghanistan was mic’d up on the Fox Sports coverage.

He was being spoken to by the on-air commentators for more than 5 overs, including two of the overs he was bowling itself. During his first over, he was taken for 11 runs by the Stars’s openers so when he came on to bowl again, the commentators decided to just let Rashid be and listen on this time rather than interrogating him right through.

BBL 12 - Rashid Khan Has Fun Sledging Mic'd Up — Credits: Cricket.com.au

Rashid Khan sledging in BBL 12

During this second over, Rashid was quick to realise that the batsmen were not taking a chance against him and that he had to do something different. Within a couple of deliveries, he started to play a few mind games and get into the batters’ minds. He started with Joe Clarke at the non-strikers end, asking him why he’s not playing shots after playing so many deliveries already.

“I thought you were going to play some shots. How many balls have you faced now? More than 30?” said Rashid to Clarke, and the batsman decided to just listen and not say anything back. Indeed, Clarke and Beau Webster were choosing to just play Rashid Khan out, rather than trying to score a few runs against him. Rashid then also took a shot at Webster when he was on strike.

He kept telling him that there’s no mid-wicket and that Webster should try and target that area, but he didn’t take the bait either. It was a special few minutes listening to Rashid on air because he was giving us a lot of insights into how he thinks and how he decides what he’s going to do before every ball he bowls. He struck in his first over as well, only to be overturned by a DRS review. See here:

The wait for 100 continues a little longer… 🙅‍♂️ #BBL12 pic.twitter.com/cT8A1qw4Xe
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 31, 2022

It wasn’t just the fun and banter that we enjoyed with Rash on the microphone but also his thought process, continuously talking to his ‘skipper’ Peter Siddle regarding field placements and other tactics. Reactions on Twitter were mixed about Rashid’s cameo on the mic. In his third over, he took on Clarke once again, saying, “Do you only hit the balls that are closer to you?”

He went on to speak to Marcus Stoinis later as well, asking him how he hit a particular ball, which was actually a good ball. While Clarke’s responses were quieter ones, Stoinis decided to have a laugh or two with their interaction. He was three wickets away from getting 100 wickets for Adelaide Strikers, and being on the mic only added to the entertainment in today’s game.