Rashid Khan to continue stay in Australia for BBL after father's demise

Afghanistan spin maestro Rashid Khan, who lost his father on Sunday, has decided to continue his stay in Australia for the ongoing eighth edition of the Big Bash League (BBL). The 20-year-old said that his family motivated him to stay on and continue playing for the Adelaide Strikers.

"In this situation, my family has really supported me . Especially my mum, my brothers, my nephews. They were encouraging me a lot from back home. They were calling me again and again. They were like, 'you have to be there, you have to play for us, you have to play for your Dad. We can see you're sad, you're alone there, you're (a long way) from home'," Cricket.com.au quoted Rashid, as saying.

"That's how their motivation helped to stay here and play for the Strikers," he added.

The right-arm bowler acknowledged the support he received from fellow Afghanistan player Mohammad Nabi in handling the loss.

"I spoke with him (Nabi) a lot. He said . 'it's life - someone will go, someone will come. We all will go one day. It's not like we will be here for all of time'. The way the team, my captain, my coaches, my management - the way they (supported) me has been great," Rashid said.

"They were in my room until late (after the New Year's Eve game), encouraging me. I really love that - that kept me alive there . They were coming to me and hugging me," he added.

Rashid made his BBL debut in December 2017 and is participating in the T20 tournament for the second time in his career. Overall, he has played 16 matches in the league scalping 29 wickets with an economy rate of 5.34.

-ANI