Afghani legspinner Rashid Khan has just lived a dream.
Rashid claimed man-of-the-match honours in his Big Bash League debut for the Adelaide Strikers in their 53-run win against Sydney Thunder on Friday night.
The 19-year-old, the first Afghan to play in the BBL, took 2-22 from four overs at Adelaide Oval.
"It means a lot to Afghanistan to play in such a big league," Rashid said.
"And to then to perform and get man of the match - it was a dream to play in this league, so it's a proud moment for my country, for me, for my family.
"To play here, it's such an amazing moment."
Rashid's canny spin helped unravel the Thunder - he had Ryan Gibson caught behind and then produced a stellar wrong'un to bowl Ben Rohrer two balls later.
"That was a special wicket, a left-hander, to bowl him with a googly," Rashid said.
"I set him up for it. He was waiting for a legspinner."
Rashid's wrong'un immediately stamped itself as his danger ball - and he warned that no amount of video could properly prepare a batsman to face it.
"I think the speed I bowl makes it difficult for the batsman," he said.
"You can see in the video, but once you come to the centre it's looking everything different."
Rashid, who played the first of his 32 one-day internationals only a month after his 17th birthday, said his Adelaide teammates were encouraging him to demonstrate his variations.
"I wasn't nervous, I just tried my best to bowl on a good length area," he said.
"And the players were backing me and the skipper (Travis Head) just told me 'you can do it, just go and believe in yourself'."
