FROM THE MAGAZINE: According to TIM WIGMORE cricket's real Golden Age was not more than a century ago; it is now. And nobody embodies it more than its king, Rashid Khan
This is an abridged version of our monthly 'My favourite cricketer' feature for the August 2023 issue of The Cricketer - this month penned by cricket journalist TIM WIGMORE. To read the full article, grab a copy of the magazine by clicking here.
Cricket's Golden Age – always capitalised, of course – is normally given as 1895–1914. These were the days of Ranji and Victor Trumper, uncovered wickets and stylish, audacious batting.
The days of Bernard Bosanquet, the inventor of the googly, and Sydney Barnes, and his array of fast-medium swing, seam and spin.
And the days of Gilbert Jessop who, despite the best attempts of Ben Stokes and company in the past year, remains the holder of the record for England’s fastest Test century.
Yet, to my eyes, cricket's real Golden Age was not more than a century ago; it is now.
Cricket has a litany of problems; it is, as it always has been, held back by short-termism and myopic administration. But cricket is played and watched by more people than ever before.
And the game itself – the one we see played out with a bat and ball, whether over 100 balls a side or five days – has never been so enthralling.
Rashid Khan is Exhibit A for my simple argument: that cricket has never had it sogood.
Rashid embodies – and accelerated – the democratisation of cricket. It is no longer a sport in which a cricketer has to be born in an arbitrary group of countries to be allowed to realise their talents.
These achievements have come against the backdrop of the tragedy of Afghanistan falling to the Taliban two years ago.
Rashid has bravely spoken about the plight in his country. "Don't leave us in chaos," he implored the rest of the world when the Taliban regained control; he has publicly condemned the Taliban's ban on university education for women in Afghanistan.
And so Rashid is much more than just a cricketer. But equally, no one bowls legspin quite like Rashid, fizzing the ball at a pace that can reach 65mph.
Rashid Khan bowling for the Adelaide Strikers during the Men's Big Bash League [Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images]
These skills lend themselves to bowling in all three phases of the game. We seldom look at headline T20 numbers, so focused has the game been on a player's worth in a specific phase.
But to zoom out and look at Rashid's basic figures – as I write this 555 at 18.26 apiece, with an economy rate of 6.4 an over – illustrates how remarkable his feats have been.
He has brought this unerring excellence to, by the last count, 16 different T20 teams. Coming soon to a time zone near you: 4-0-22-2 from Rashid.
Rashid's art is also affirmation of cricket's continual capacity for renewal. A salient contrast is with Shane Warne.
Compared to Warne, Rashid bowls notably faster, flatter, straighter and shorter. He spins the ball less, but uses his googly – delivered without any discernible changed in his action – much more; once, he got a hattrick in the Caribbean Premier League with googlies alone.
When Rashid got his chance in Test cricket – his brilliance was a driving force in Afghanistan gaining Full Member status in 2017 - he has thrived too, with 34 wickets in five Tests.
To see Rashid is to see proof that, on the field and off it, cricket has never been more compelling, never afforded so many opportunities for different players to excel in so many different ways.
Really, there is no need to hark back a century or more to cricket's Golden Age. Instead, we can enjoy the real Golden Age for ourselves.
Tim Wigmore is a cricket journalist for the Telegraph. He is co-author of White Hot: the Inside Story of England Cricket's Double World Champions
Inside our August 2023 issue of The Cricketer magazine, you'll also find:
- David Gower and Mike Gatting reminisce over lunch
- Ricky Ponting faces our questions on coaching, batting and The Ashes
- Tim Wigmore says this is a golden age - and Rashid Khan is king
- George Dobell gives his take on the ICEC report
- Mike Brearley on how behaviour in the dressing room has changed
- Gareth Copley is next up in our series of cricket's great photographers
- James Coyne discusses county cricket's loan system
- Barney Ronay wonders if 'Bazball' is becoming a cult
- Huw Turbervill reports on the World Test Championship final
- Kent are this month's county in focus
And much, much more...
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