Former Pakistan cricket captain Rashid Latif has boldly stated that Afghanistan’s star cricketer Rashid Khan is a greater cricketer than legendary bowler Wasim Akram.

Akram is widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time and is often referred to as The Sultan of Swing. He was part of the Pakistani squad which won the 1992 Cricket World Cup and he was instrumental in shaping Pakistan’s pace attack for over a decade.

Rashid on the other hand made his debut for an inexperienced Afghanistan team in international cricket in 2015 at the age of 17. He quickly rose to almost global superstar status and is now among the first names on wish lists of league teams around the world.

In 2018 he became the youngest cricketer to top the ICC ODI bowling rankings, the youngest man to captain an international side, and the fastest to 100 ODI wickets.

In December 2020, he was named the ICC Men’s T20I Player of the Decade and he has since gone on to notch up countless more records – his latest being the highest wicket-taker in T20 history.

Rashid went past previous record-holder Dwayne Bravo’s tally of 631 wickets during South Africa’s league tournament early this month.

After breaking Trinidadian Bravo’s record, Rashid said: “It’s a great achievement.”

“I never thought about it, if you asked 10 years before this if I would get there. It’s a proud feeling to be from Afghanistan and to be at that level where you top the table.”

And topping the table he certainly is, with cricket experts like Latif noting that Rashid was instrumental in helping the Afghanistan cricket team become more well-known and for putting them on the map.

“He is greater than Wasim Akram. I am sorry to say, but Rashid’s stature is bigger,” said Latif.

“I have only one piece of advice for Rashid Khan — improve your Test team and play more Test matches against Pakistan.”

Latif’s comments come just days before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 gets underway in Pakistan. Once again, Afghanistan will be eager to make a mark on the global stage.

Led by key players like Rashid, Mohammad Nabi, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the Afghan team will take to the field as a competitive force in world cricket.

Their spin-heavy attack, coupled with an improving batting lineup, makes them a dangerous team capable of causing major upsets.

Cricket fans meanwhile can stay tuned to Ariana Radio & Television Network (ATN) as all Champions Trophy matches will be broadcast live across the country from Wednesday February 19.