The Hundred: Rashid Khan returns for Trent Rockets and lights up The Hundred

That was until world-class talent brought them down on Saturday night at Trent Bridge.

On a ground renowned for his big shots, Rashid Khan took three wickets as Trent Rockets overtook Spirit, winning by six wickets to top the men's standings. .

It was not just the wickets, but the style of the dismissals that thrilled the crowd.

The leg spinner beat Dan Lawrence, Kieron Pollard and Jordan Thompson as the Rockets beat Spirit for 122 - their lowest tournament total - before the hosts chased the target with ease.

"It's a superstar," former England bowler Dominic Cork told Sky Sports. "The way he plays, the way he plays."

Rashid, one of the franchises world's most sought after cricketers, learned his trade as a refugee in Peshawar, Pakistan, after his family crossed the Afghan border following the US invasion.

He played with taped tennis balls against his brothers on concrete surfaces, but by the age of 17 he had made his international debut - and at 18, he signed up for the glamor of the Indian Premier League.

Now aged 23 years he remains a livewire, bringing energy and entertainment to all the games he plays, including Nottingham.

The men's Hundred has drifted at times this year, perhaps due to a series of injuries ures to other players, but with Rashid in town, it sparkled.

He received the ball for the first time shortly after the power play - the first 25 balls in an inning. England international Lawrence charged the wicket and was cheated by Rashid. The stumps lit up.

Out came Spirit captain Eoin Morgan - who hit 17 sixes against Rashid's Afghanistan in the 2019 World Cup - and showed his quality, taking on the bowler, breaking him for two straight sixes.

It was a callback to Rashid's only previous game in this year's Hundred against Birmingham Phoenix, when Liam Livingstone launched a brutal assault and crushed him for three straight sixes.

Even the best can be eliminated - but this time Rashid answered perfectly.

Morgan fell to compatriot Samit Patel and came West Indies superstar Kieron Pollard. Rashid had five deliveries left and Rockets captain Lewis Gregory once again turned to his prized weapon - the well-rounded game with Spirit 95-4 and 30 balls remaining.

With the first of his five, Rashid made for Pollard, knocking the ball away from the right-hander and crashing into his stumps.

< p class="" data-reactid =".dht2mhww6a.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-20">It was the crucial moment and a brilliant delivery but Rashid was still not finished.

With his last ball, Jordan Thompson was bowled around his legs.

"This is what resilience looks like in this format. World-class bowling," former England striker Ebony Rainford-Brent said on Sky Sports.

"There was a period e at the beginning where he was attacked by Morgan. There was a danger that he would fall but he just came back and came back and came back. It does not matter if it is pumped. It reset and came back."

Speaking to BBC Sport, Kirstie Gordon, Bowler England and Birmingham Phoenix, added: "He is so difficult to play. He always changes it and is always above the batter.

"He comes with that presence now."

Unfortunately for the Rockets - and the tournament as a whole - Rashid's presence won't be felt in the tournament for another year. He will miss the rest of the Hundred as he travels to the Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates to play for his country.

But on a sunny night in Nottingham, he served a gentle reminder as to why he was the first player's first choice...