World Cup 2019: I do not play for Gulbadin Naib or cricket board but Afghanistan, says Rashid Khan

After always being showered with accolades for game-changing performances, Rashid Khan faced criticism after he recorded the World Cup's worst bowling figures (9-0-110-0) in a forgettable outing against England.

"People forget 10 good days and conveniently remember that one particularly bad day", Rashid said. He is the world's number three bowler in ODIs and tops the T20 chart.

While fans and cricket pundits criticised the bowler, there was even a mocking tweet by Iceland Cricket - a nation that is yet to find its feet in the sport.

We’ve just heard that Rashid Khan has scored Afghanistan’s first century of the #CWC19! Wow! 110 from 56 balls. The most runs ever scored by a bowler in the World Cup or something. Well batted young man. #ENGvAFG #AFGvENG pic.twitter.com/3vklzCeIJt

— Iceland Cricket (@icelandcricket) June 18, 2019

"I am not thinking too much about that match. People forget 10 good days and conveniently remember that one particularly bad day. They don't like to remember what Rashid did on previous 10 days," Rashid told PTI in an exclusive interview on the eve of their match against India.

"I would focus on the mistakes I committed in that match and rectify those in the coming matches. No point thinking about the criticism. I need to keep things simple," said the 20-year-old.

Lots of people suggesting that Rashid Khan would get 10 wickets if he bowled against Iceland. No way. Four or five tops. The rest of us would be run out trying to get to the non striker’s end. pic.twitter.com/LW8ljzDP9B

— Iceland Cricket (@icelandcricket) June 20, 2019

Rashid and Afghanistan's other superstar Mohammed Nabi had raised objections when Gulbadin Naib replaced Asghar Afghan as the skipper for the World Cup. This decision did not go down well with the country's cricket board.

When asked about his relationship with skipper Gulbadin, Rashid said, "Neither do I play for Gulbadin nor for the cricket board (ACB) but for Afghanistan".

After five straight losses, many conspiracies are floating including Rashid's relationship with Gulbadin.

"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 the 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 a decade, then what can suddenly change in a day or two." But when it comes to his take on change in captaincy, Rashid chose to stick to his guns.

"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.

"That tweet by me or Nabi wasn't in support of Asghar. We raised our voice for the betterment of Afghanistan cricket," the 20-year-old spinner said.

"Had someone else been appointed captain, my stand wouldn't have changed. That wasn't the right time to change the captain. I have nothing personal in supporting Asghar. I am not the only person who's saying that. The whole world is saying that" the Sunrisers Hyderabad team member said.

Rashid also explained why he felt that the time was not right to change the captaincy.

"We were going to play a big event like the World Cup. The combination didn't seem like Asia Cup and if you tinker with the combination before a big tournament, it's not a great thing. That was the reason for the tweet," he said.

Rashid also spoke how not playing enough games against big teams has affected the way Afghanistan cricket has moulded.

"Actually, we haven't played a lot against teams like Australia and England and that pressure is also there. In a stage like the World cup, suddenly the pressure increases manifold when you play against big sides and that can affect the performance," Rashid reasoned.

"This is the first time, we played South Africa in an ODI. We played New Zealand and Australia after the 2015 World Cup. If you play a team once in four years, you are bound to face problems. As players, we understood we need to work harder." He did accept that Afghanistan need to work on their bowling.

"As a bowling unit, we need to do more. Yes, we have been struggling in pace bowling department. I think we need to have proper 140 kph plus bowlers. We need these bowlers in these conditions. It's not that we will get these kinds of bowlers in a year. It will take time," Rashid concluded. 

(Inputs from PTI)