Trent Rockets are standing firm in support of their Afghanistani leg-spinner Rashid Khan as he deals with the upheaval in his homeland, says Lewis Gregory.
Khan, 22, posted a message on Twitter on Thursday praying for “a peaceful, developed and united” Afghanistan, where there are fears of a humanitarian crisis following the withdrawal of western forces and the return to power of the Taliban.
“We have a fantastic group of lads and they have really rallied around him, trying to keep him busy and look after him as much as we can,” said Rockets captain Gregory whilst speaking to Sky Sports.
“I know he has been around a long time but he is still a young lad. You can see he is not his regular bubbly self and all we can really do is try and pick him up.
“The guy is unbelievable. He has done it all around the world and he is doing it in England this year.
“When you throw in the circumstances with what’s going on back home where his family are, it’s nothing short of amazing. What he brings to his country and cricket is huge.
“He is fully focused on his cricket and hopefully we can get a trophy for him and put a smile on his face.”
Reflecting on the inaugural edition of The Hundred, Gregory, who plays his county cricket for Somerset, said: “It has been brilliant to see full houses everywhere we have been – those are the games you want to be involved in.
“The biggest thing is seeing kids and families at the ground. I have spoken to friends and family who have said kids are talking about it at school.
“It’s exciting to see that – kids talking about cricket instead of other sports. Fingers crossed that will lead to a successful England team in 10 or 15 years.
“I think the tournament has been really well received by the public [but] I think some adjustments could be made. If we could get a team in south-west England, it would be amazing.
“It’s more cricket and we already play quite a lot of cricket so how everything fits in I’m not sure, but it’s here to stay. It is definitely a competition I have enjoyed playing in. I think other players have as well.”
