On September 1, Afghanistani cricket star Rashid Khan made history by becoming the top wicket-taker in T20 international matches. The 26-year-old, who leads Afghanistan in T20 cricket, surpassed the record previously set by New Zealand’s Tim Southee. Southee took 164 wickets in 126 T20I matches for New Zealand between 2008 and 2024, while Rashid now holds 165 wickets in just 98 matches.
During the third match of a T20I tri-series at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Rashid took three wickets for 21 runs against the United Arab Emirates. Since his debut for Afghanistan against Zimbabwe on October 26, 2015, Rashid has played 97 T20I matches for his country and one for the ICC World XI. He took 163 wickets for Afghanistan and two wickets in a match for the ICC World XI against the West Indies in 2018.
Rashid has faced 18 different teams in T20Is and has been most successful against Ireland, taking 45 wickets in 21 matches. Among Afghanistani bowlers, he leads the T20I wicket-takers list, followed by Mohammad Nabi and Naveen-ul-Haq.
Beyond T20Is, Rashid also holds the record for the most wickets in all T20 cricket. Playing for 19 different teams, he has taken 664 wickets in 489 matches. West Indies players Dwayne Bravo (631 wickets) and Sunil Narine (591 wickets) follow him on the all-time T20 list.
Rashid will return to the field for Afghanistan’s next match against Pakistan in the T20I tri-series in Sharjah on September 2.
