Rashid Khan made T20 history on Monday as he became the first bowler to reach 700 wickets in the format. The Afghanistan leg spinner achieved the mark in Delhi during his team’s match against the United Arab Emirates.
He began the game with 699 wickets and needed one more for the record. The moment came in the 16th over of the UAE innings. Mohammad Irfan tried to play a reverse sweep but hit his own stumps. He was out hit wicket, giving Rashid his 700th scalp.
Rashid had been close to the milestone since last week. He took his 698th and 699th wickets against South Africa. He bowled 3.2 more overs in that match but could not get another wicket. In the UAE game, he gave away only 17 runs from his first 20 balls before the breakthrough came.
There was little celebration from the Afghanistan captain after the record. The match situation was tight. Afghanistan needed the win to stay in the race for the Super Eight. They also had to depend on other results.
Rashid now leads the all time list of T20 wicket takers. Former West Indies all rounder Dwayne Bravo is second with 631 wickets. Among active players, Sunil Narine is next behind Rashid with 613 wickets.
Rashid also tops the list in T20 Internationals. He has taken 191 wickets for Afghanistan in this format. New Zealand’s Tim Southee follows with 164 wickets. Ish Sodhi is close behind with 162.
The record adds another big achievement to Rashid’s long and successful T20 career.
