Rashid Khan responds to PSL final speculation: "I won’t be able to make it"

Amid reports Lahore Qalandars were trying to bring the Afghanistan spinner back for the clash with Multan Sultans, Rashid says national duty comes first

Rashid Khan will not be available to Lahore Qalandars for the Pakistan Super League final against Multan Sultans.

The leg-spinner, currently on international duty with Afghanistan, was being lined up to feature at the Gadaffi Stadium on Sunday (February 27).

Qalandars had hoped to bring him back to Pakistan via a charter plane.

Alex Hales and Paul Stirling have recently been able to return for spells with Islamabad United due to tweaks in the PCB's Covid-protocols, leaving the door open for Rashid.

It would’ve been great to be part of @lahoreqalandars and play alongside lads in @thePSLt20 final.
I won’t be able to make it for the finals due to National Duty which is always a first priority.I wish my captain @iShaheenAfridi @sameenrana and team GOOD LUCK INSHALLAH ❤️ 🤲🏻

— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) February 26, 2022

But due to the complicated logistics and the 23-year-old's commitment to his national team, the plan has been quashed.

Instead, he will remain in Bangladesh for the third and final one-day international ahead of the two-match T20I series in Dhaka.

"It would’ve been great to be part of @lahoreqalandars and play alongside lads in @thePSLt20 final," he wrote on Twitter.

"I won’t be able to make it for the finals due to National Duty which is always a first priority. I wish my captain @iShaheenAfridi @sameenrana and team GOOD LUCK INSHALLAH."

^{Rashid will resume his international commitments in Bangladesh (Getty Images)}

In nine matches before his departure, Rashid claimed 13 wickets at an economy rate of 6.25 to help Qalandars qualify for the playoffs.

He was particularly influential in the group win over Sultans, dismissing Mohammad Rizwan and Rilee Rossouw as part of figures of 2 for 33.

While Sultans are bidding to claim back-to-back titles, Qalandars are chasing their first PSL success but must now do so without T20 cricket's second-highest wicket-taking spinner.