Afghanistan’s talismanic wrist spinner Rashid Khan made history by becoming the first bowler to reach 650 wickets in T20 cricket during the opening match of The Hundred 2025.
The milestone came in the one-sided clash between London Spirit and Oval Invincibles at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, on Tuesday, 5 august. Kane Williamson’s London Spirit won the toss and chose to bat first, but early breakthroughs from Jordan Clark and Jason Behrendorff reduced them to 26 for 3 before Rashid began his spellbinding performance.
The 26-year-old dismissed Wayne Madsen with the 43rd delivery of the innings, then sealed the record by trapping Liam Dawson lbw. Rashid also claimed the wicket of Ryan Higgins, finishing with impressive figures of 3 for 11 from 20 balls, including 15 dot balls.
Rashid now holds 651 wickets in T20 cricket across 478 innings, at an average of 18.54. He has taken four five-wicket hauls and boasts a strike rate of 16.90 and an economy rate of 6.57 in the shortest format.
His efforts were well supported by Sam Curran, who also took three wickets as London Spirit were bowled out for just 80 runs in 94 balls. Ashton Turner top-scored with 21 off 14 balls.
In response, Will Jacks and Tawanda Muyeye began steadily, putting on 34 runs in 32 balls. However, Dawson dismissed both openers after solid starts. Curran contributed a quick 14 off nine balls before captain Sam Billings and Donovan Ferreira guided Oval Invincibles to victory with six wickets in hand and 31 balls to spare.