I don’t play for Naib or ACB: Rashid

 “People forget 10 good days and conveniently remember that one particular bad day”, says Rashid Khan of the criticism that came his way after he recorded the World Cup’s worst bowling figures in a forgettable outing against England.

Used to being showered with accolades for game-changing performances, the ignominy of recording World Cup’s worst-ever bowling performance (9-0-110-0), against England, has been a humbling experience for the world’s top spinner.

“I am not thinking too much about that match. People forget 10 good days and conveniently remember that one particular bad day. They don’t like to remember what Rashid did on previous 10 days,” Rashid, the world’s number three bowler in ODIs, told PTI.

“I will focus on the mistakes I made in that match and rectify them in the coming matches. No point thinking about criticism. I need to keep things simple,” added the 20-year-old.

Asked if his relationship with skipper Gulbadin Naib had been strained after he voiced his displeasure at a change of captaincy, Rashid said: “Neither do I play for Gulbadin nor for the cricket board. I play for the flag, for Afghanistan. I know what my job is and I will continue doing that.”

Rashid and Afghanistan’s other superstar Mohammed Nabi had raised objections when Gulbadin replaced Asghar Afghan as captain for the World Cup, something that didn’t go well with the country’s cricket board.

Following five losses, many conspiracy theories abound, including Rashid’s relationship with Naib.

“I think there is no problem in my relationship with Gulbadin. I support him as much as I did when Asghar was the captain. If I supported Asghar 50 per cent on the field, Gulbadin has my 100 per cent support,” he said.

“Right from time we landed in England, no one has spoken about the issue. I think it was blown out of proportion by the media. Some of us have been playing together for 15-16 years. So if nothing has happened in more than decade, then what can suddenly change in a day or two?”