Industry Odisha Bureau, Oct 30: Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan became the first bowler to claim 200 wickets in men’s T20 internationals during the second match against Zimbabwe at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
The 28-year old reached the milestone by dismissing Zimbabwe wicketkeeper-batter Tadiwanashe Marumani, who was trapped lbw for two. Rashid achieved the feat in his 120th T20I appearance. With which, he extended his lead as the format’s highest wicket taker.
England’s Adil Rashid is second on the list with 171 wickets. Who is then followed by Hong Kong’s Ehsan Khan and New Zealand’s Ish Sodhi, who have 165 each. Rashid had earlier crossed 700 wickets in overall T20 cricket.
He has taken 150 T20I wickets in Asia, including 79 in the UAE. Khan further holds the record for most dismissals against a single opponent, with 45 wickets against Ireland. He has also dismissed Zimbabwe’s Ryan Burl seven times.
Of his 200 international T20 wickets, 142 have come between overs seven and 16, while 56 have been taken in the final four overs. He has claimed four or more wickets in an innings 11 times.
Rashid’s milestone came during Afghanistan’s 19-run victory over Zimbabwe. After slipping to 5/4, Afghanistan recovered to post 221/7, led by Azmatullah Omarzai’s 116 off 50 balls and a 142-run partnership with Ijaz Ahmadzai, who scored 52.
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza scored a century, but his team finished short of the target. Afghanistan took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
