Rashid: It was bothering me for a long time

MAXWELL'S BRUTAL KNOCK SHATTERED AFGHANISTAN'S WORLD CUP DREAMS

- BY A.K.S. SATISH Sports Editor

For months, Rashid Khan would replay the moment in his head — the cramps, the carnage, the collapse.

Afghanistan were on the brink of history at the 2023 World Cup. Then came Glenn Maxwell's miracle in Mumbai. A year later, Rashid admits he couldn't move on not until Afghanistan finally bat Australia and buried the ghosts of that unforgettable night.

"It was bothering me for a long time," Rashid said. "We had the game in our hands. But that double century took the match away. I kept thinking about that game after the World Cup."

At Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, a venue steeped in tradition and known for rewarding textbook batting, Maxwell produced an innings that defied every coaching manual. Battling cramps and barely able to move his feet, the Australian all-rounder unleashed a counter-attack built on sheer hand-eye coordination.