Malaysia all-rounder Virandeep Singh has written his name into cricketing history by becoming the first player to register both 3,000 runs and 100 wickets in men’s T20 internationals.
The milestone was achieved on 25 November in Kuala Lumpur during a Mini SEA Cricket Tournament match against Bahrain. Virandeep entered the contest on 99 wickets and added three more with his left-arm spin to reach the landmark. Bahrain posted 107, a target Malaysia chased down with four wickets and one ball to spare, with Virandeep contributing a valuable 23 runs.
He had already crossed the 3,000-run mark earlier in July, scoring 36 against Samoa in the Asia Pacific Cricket Champions Trophy in Singapore.
Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza is the closest to matching the feat. Raza currently has 2,846 runs and 102 wickets in T20Is, and needs just 154 more runs to join Virandeep. The Zimbabwean all-rounder claimed his 100th T20I wicket on 20 November in a tri-series match against Pakistan, becoming the country’s second bowler to reach the milestone.
Only three others have previously combined 2,000 runs and 100 wickets in T20 internationals, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Nabi, and Ravindra Jadeja.
Shakib, now retired from T20Is, finished with 2,551 runs and 149 wickets. Nabi, aged 40, has 2,417 runs and 104 wickets, though uncertainty remains over how long he will continue at the international level.
