Is the story of Rashid Khan, who rose to a multi-millionaire cricket superstar overnight from the frustrating and hunger-stricken poor refugee life in Peshawar, Pakistan. Rashid had to leave his home in Afghanistan due to the war, and he and his family moved to Pakistan but faced many problems there.
Yet, the fact of the matter is that Rashid Khan’s outstanding abilities and insane work ethic helped him achieve phenomenal success in the world of cricket.
The 25-year-old Rashid Khan now boasts of franchise riches when his box of leg-spinning tricks is delivered to an in-demand cricketer; unimaginable was the wealth when his family escaped turmoil in Afghanistan.
His latest deal, concluded in the successful IPL, fetched him approximately $1. 2. 5 million, becoming homes in Dubai and Sharjah. Presently, as the standing Afghanistan cricket team captain, Rashid Khan is only two victories away from the T20 World Cup crown.
Rashid Khan, having made his cricket debut when he was young in Pakistan, got coaching from Ali Hoti.
Hoti, who had seen the promising signs in Rashid Khan early on, said, “Rashid has a powerful right hand with which he bowls world-class maidens; commitment and talent were matching, and now he is the role model for the players in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Rashid Khan himself is one of 11 children. He and his family moved from Afghanistan to Pakistan, finding safer ground in the war-stricken country. His parents used to have a tire business in Nangarhar province, in the east of the country. Born in Pakistan, Rashid Khan’s formal education and attending Islamia College in Peshawar led him to pursue computer science.
While playing cricket for trials, this gem was seen in Rashid Khan. “Finally, one day, we saw huge talent in Rashid; therefore, we got him admission in computer science. He was also a good student, and the start of his career tone was established in 2013,” the 39-year-old Hoti further said. Rashid Khan also etched his popularity soon as he made a century in a match and took the team to the local collegiate final.
Although he initially excelled as a batter, he later developed exceptional leg-spin skills, becoming a formidable bowler.
As a T20 franchise cricketer, Rashid Khan has achieved significant success, helping Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in 2023 and guiding Lahore Qalandars to back-to-back titles in the Pakistan Super League in 2022 and 2023. Sameen Rana, Qalandars’ chief operating officer, praised Rashid as a “team man,” noting his humility, selflessness, and exceptional work ethic.
In the ongoing T20 World Cup, Afghanistan, led by Rashid, has been the shining team. Some of the achievements that were recorded include beating New Zealand in the first round to earn a place in the Super Eights and getting a spectacular win against Australia, the former champions. Rashid Khan has played his role from the front and has scored 4-17 against New Zealand and 1-23 against Australia.
The best bowling display was given against Bangladesh, where he claimed 4-23, and with his handy willow, he cracked 19 not out off just 10 balls putting Afghanistan in the World Cup semi-final for the first time.
The intensity and determination have also characterized Rashid Khan’s leadership in the achievement of the company’s objectives. During a close victory against Bangladesh, in a moment of annoyance with Karim Janat, who did not give a second run to Rashid on a stage where Rashid demanded the ball be struck, he threw the bat towards Karim Janat.
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The first week of the 2025 NFL preseason is officially in the books. Even though the games and results do not matter, there is still reason to pay attention to standout performances from around the league. Here are some of the best from this week's games. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots The Patriots need some game-changers on offense, and they may have found one in second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson. Henderson put on an immediate show in the Patriots' preseason opener, returning the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, rushing for 18 yards on his only carry and catching three passes. Skylar Thompson, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers Thompson is not likely to make the Steelers roster, but that doesn't mean he can't find a spot on another team. Especially if he puts together a strong preseason performance. He did exactly that on Saturday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars, completing 20-of-28 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns. With Aaron Rodgers unlikely to play in the preseason and Will Howard injured, Thompson should get plenty of reps to audition for other teams. Tanner McKee, QB, Philadelphia Eagles Following the offseason trade of Kenny Pickett, McKee is now pretty much cemented in as the Eagles' backup, and he had to give them a lot of confidence in his ability following his preseason performance against the Bengals. McKee torched the Bengals defense to the tune of 20-of-25 passing for 252 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. It is a nice continuation for McKee following his promising debut a year ago when he threw for 323 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions in his two appearances. Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams The Rams already have a starting running back in Kyren Williams, but there is nothing wrong with having a second productive player at the position. Corum didn't make the expected impact in his rookie season, but he had a promising preseason debut this year with two touchdowns in the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys. Rookie quarterbacks Cleveland's Shedeur Sanders got the week off to a promising start by throwing two touchdowns against Carolina, taking a big step forward in his quest to win the team's starting quarterback job and to silence the critics following his slide in the draft. Jaxson Dart, one of the Giants' first-round picks, also had a strong showing by going 12-of-19 with 154 yards and a very impressive touchdown pass. Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, also had a strong debut by leading a touchdown drive and developing an instant connection with veteran wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Abdul Carter, DE, New York Giants Carter did not play a ton of snaps for the Giants, but he was a force when he did play. He recorded a quarterback pressure on all three of his pass-rush snaps and showed the type of quickness and speed that made him one of the best players in the 2025 NFL Draft class. Cam Little, K, Jacksonville Jaguars Look, when you kick a 70-yard field goal, you deserve to get some added recognition, whether it counts as an official league record or not. Little made all four field goal attempts, as well as an extra point, in the Jaguars' preseason debut.
After a down 2023 season, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen re-established himself last season as one of the team's more reliable defenders. In training camp, the 26-year-old seems to be picking up where he left off. “Riq’s locked in this year,” Seattle third-year cornerback Devon Witherspoon said, per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. “He just continues to be better. Riq’s got a lot of stuff to show a lot of people.” But can Seattle keep him? Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Woolen will make $5.4 million this season (h/t: Spotrac). Per Over The Cap, the Seahawks are projected to have roughly $61M in cap space in 2026, but they also have other players to sign. Seattle soon will give a top-tier contract to Witherspoon, a two-time Pro Bowler. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and offensive tackles Charles Cross and Anthony Lucas also may merit bigger deals soon. The Seahawks won’t have a lot of salary cap space left if they want to extend most of their top young players. In training camp, Woolen frequently defends against Smith-Njigba, who is one of the more dynamic route-runners in the league. The Seahawks are labeling him as one of the top performers in training camp. Woolen could be one of the top options by the trade deadline later in the season. He could give a team a much-needed upgrade in defending against the passing game. The Seahawks could get a good package in return if they are unable to extend to a longer contract.
Preseason NFL football is finally underway, but no other teams rolled out their debuts in such grandiose fashion as the St. Louis Rams and the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium. Starters or not, the fans were just happy to see their guys take the field again. But the more committed onlookers were undoubtedly taking mental notes on their newly acquired players. Quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott didn’t take the field at all, as expected. Stafford is still recovering from back soreness. But even if there were no soreness, he wouldn’t have started the first preseason game. From a management standpoint these first games are primarily for seeing what they’ve got in their young players and whittling down the roster. Backups Galore There was crafty and stellar quarterback play by second-stringer Stetson Bennett. A fourth-round selection in 2023, Bennett was the only quarterback to have been selected by the Rams since Jared Goff. He was drafted 128th overall. Bennett threw for two touchdowns and had the best game of his young NFL career to date. His QB rating was 108.75 and he threw two TDs and had a pick. The Cowboys tried out their new guy too, Joe Milton III. He’s the QB they received in a trade with the Patriots. Milton came out swinging. He may have missed a lot but at least he was swinging, or slinging, as it were. His rating was only 71.82 and it took him a while to settle in. Brian Schottenheimer suggested they’d run a vanilla offense—and it was. Milton threw for a TD and an interception before leaving in the fourth quarter with an elbow bruise. Regardless, Jerry Jones was elated. In fact, he’s so happy about acquiring Milton he’s been pinching himself. Running back Blake Corum was the star of the show in the early goings. He was last year’s third-round draft pick for the Rams. Corum became opportunistic and mashed his way through the Cowboys’ defenders. He was trending on social media in the process. Corum twice found his way into the endzone with two touchdowns on the first two drives. Rookie Power During a broadcast interview with Sean McVay, Josaiah Stewart outmaneuvered Cowboys’ tackle Hakeem Adeniji, logging the Rams only sack. Stewart was a third-round selection in this year’s draft. He was supposed to fill a gaping hole on the edge. The rookie did enough to impress the coach with the sack. McVay certainly noticed him, stating the rookie made his presence felt. Cowboys’ rookie undrafted free agent Rivaldo Fairweather was the team’s receptions leader. He roped in three catches, one of them being Milton’s first touchdown pass as a Cowboy. It was a seven-yard completion for the TD. Rams’ undrafted free agent safety Nate Valcarce also made his presence felt. He led the team in total tackles with nine. He even had a pass defended. That alone is an impressive feat for a rookie defensive back playing in his first game. The two teams shared a practice in the week leading up to the game. Perhaps it’s the beginning of a new tradition as the Cowboys and Rams have met up in L.A. for the preseason debut now two seasons in a row. Due to the proximity of Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, it’s also convenient. Both games so far have been won by the Rams.
The Pittsburgh Steelers opened their 2025 preseason with a nail-biting win against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night. Rookie undrafted free agent Daryl Porter made the game-winning tackle inbounds in the final seconds, keeping the clock running and securing the 31-25 win. Porter was one of many rookies to make their debut on Saturday, in a game where 16 starters sat out both due to injury and veteran rest. Some, like defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, are expected to start right away, while others are fighting for a roster spot -- with many making a convincing case. One of these players was wide receiver Ke'Shawn Williams, who is on the outside looking in at a 53-man roster spot currently. While the receiver room in Pittsburgh is crowded, and the Steelers are unlikely to keep more than six wideouts, there have been questions about whether a young guy could steal the final spot from a veteran like Robert Woods. The speedy 5'9" receiver from Indiana made quite a case on Saturday, hauling in 2 catches for 55 yards and the game-winning TD from quarterback Skylar Thompson. If Williams wants to stick around and at least compete for a practice squad spot, it's important that he's able to prove that he's more than just a speedster, and grabbing jump balls from the hands of a defender is a good start. Williams wasn't the only offensive weapon who impressed. Rookie running back Max Hurleman also made his case for a roster spot on Saturday night. Thompson's connection with Hurleman shined in the two-minute drill to end the half, connecting on a pair of consecutive passes, one being a touchdown. While Hurleman's official position might be listed as running back, the Steelers view him as more than that. Hurleman has lined up out wide, as well as in the backfield, making him much more of a Swiss Army knife than a traditional runner. If he wants to stick around, Hurleman's versatility will be why he does so, and he will have to hope that he can usurp someone like Connor Heyward, who is a similar weapon in the passing game. Steelers' 2025 First-Round Pick Gets His First Start While guys like Hurleman and Williams fight for a roster spot, the rookie Harmon has his locked up. In fact, the Steelers have the utmost faith in the rookie, with Defensive Line Coach Karl Dunbar stating that he will be starting Week 1. "You can write that," Dunbar said earlier this summer. "He’s our starting left defensive end." Starting rookies immediately is not something that Pittsburgh typically does, and it shows that they see enough in Harmon to put him in right away. While the box score didn't pop for him on Saturday night, there was still plenty to like. Harmon was able to get in the backfield on multiple plays and create pressure -- something the Steelers have been looking for after moving on from Larry Ogunjobi earlier in the offseason. Harmon is going to add a vital piece to both the pass and run defense for Pittsburgh in 2025. The team is hoping to bounce back after a disappointing playoff performance in January that led to Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry rushing for nearly 200 yards and 2 touchdowns. Coming out of Oregon, Harmon was lauded for his ability to both stop the run and create pressure on quarterbacks, leading the FBS with 55 total pressures. Whether it be their first-round pick, or guys fighting on the bubble, there's no doubt that the rookies were a highlight of the team's preseason performance on Saturday. Whether they can stick around will be decided when the roster cutdown deadline passes on August 27th. Until then, they will be looking toward their next opportunity, when the Steelers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on August 16th at 7 PM ET. Which rookie's performance were you most impressed by?
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