We continue our countdown of the top T20 players with a young gun and an Aussie blaster
Cricket's Twenty20 superstars: 18 & 17
18. Rashid Khan
The stats | M: 109 | W: 158 | Ave: 16.14 | Econ: 6.01 | SR: 16.10 | BB: 5-3
The story: Five weeks after turning 17, Rashid Khan made his T20 international debut for Afghanistan and has taken the world by storm ever since. He took 1-20 from four overs against Zimbabwe and after 108 more matches India legend Sachin Tendulkar labelled him the best T20 bowler in the world at present. Rashid was a revelation in the KFC Big Bash League for Adelaide Strikers where in 11 matches in 2017-18 he claimed 18 wickets at an average of 13.83 and conceded a miserly 5.65 runs per over. He was the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the Caribbean Premier League – all bowled – but the true test of any spinner is in India, and it’s no surprise he’s had great success there, too. In 2017 Hyderabad paid US$600,000 for him and a year later the same franchise paid $1.4 million to retain his services. And the money was worth it – last season he was the equal second-highest wicket-taker with 21 wickets in the Sunrisers' run to the final. To think he’s still only 19 – he could have 20 more years!
The signature move: Has to be Rashid’s wrong’un, which is often followed by a jubilant wicket celebration with arms extended to four and eight o’clock. The flight, dip and deception is perhaps unparalleled in the world at the moment. No wonder he’s Afghanistan’s first millionaire cricketer!
The performance: Sometimes stats don’t tell the whole story. This time they do. Against Ireland in March 2017, Rashid took 5-3 in two overs. Simply incredible.
17. Aaron Finch
The stats | M: 220 | NO: 21 | Runs: 6561 | HS: 156 | Ave: 33.81 | SR: 139.26 | 100s: 3 | 50s: 47
The story: Through a decade on the T20 scene, Aaron Finch has played for the A-Z of franchises around the world (well, A-Y at least – from Auckland to Yorkshire) and this year played for his record seventh Indian Premier League franchise. Teams know what they are getting when they sign Finch: a devastating power-hitter at the top of the order (though occasionally in the middle), capable of hitting sixes for fun and piling on big scores in small spaces of time. For Melbourne Renegades, Finch has been Mr Reliable, his Big Bash output the second-greatest in the tournament's history, while his IPL credentials have made him a regularly attractive auction purchase in the world's most lucrative tournament. But it's for Australia that he has saved his finest performances – perhaps the country's most consistent-ever T20I player, he averages 40 and strikes at 150 when donning the green and gold.
The signature move: Go straight, or pick your preferred side of the wicket, but Finch's ability to loft the ball spectacularly in the 'V' has provided the basis of many of his more destructive performances. His timing and power allows him to clear men on the ropes with ease.
The performance: Finch holds the world record for the highest T20I score – a blistering 156no against England in Southampton, 2013, which took him a ridiculous 63 deliveries to achieve. The innings included 14 sixes and 11 fours, and left opposition captain Stuart Broad awestruck. "It was incredible striking," Broad said afterward. "Sometimes you have to say you were outplayed, and we were outplayed by one man." Indeed.
Cricket.com.au's T20 Superstars countdown - a tribute to the best players to have graced the sport's shortest format - will continue across the next fortnight.