Rashid Khan becomes the highest wicket-taker in international T20Is as Afghanistan cruise to victory
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan has overtaken Tim Southee to become the leading wicket-taker in international T20 cricket.
In the tri-nation T20 series, chasing a big target, Muhammad Wasim gave Afghanistan a flying start against the United Arab Emirates. However, no one else could follow his lead initially. On the other hand, Rashid Khan’s record-breaking day was backed by Afghanistan’s other bowlers, paving the way for a comprehensive win.
Afghanistan defeated the UAE by 38 runs in the third match, restricting the hosts to 150/8 while setting a target of 189. Both teams had lost their opening matches against Pakistan, making this win crucial for Afghanistan’s chances of reaching the final.
Rashid played a pivotal role, taking 3 wickets for 21 runs, while left-arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf picked up 3 wickets for 24 runs, effectively stopping Wasim’s onslaught.
By dismissing Dhruv Parashar, Rashid surpassed all others in T20I wicket rankings, now claiming 165 wickets in 98 matches. Former New Zealand pacer Tim Southee had previously held the record with 164 wickets in 126 matches. Other notable bowlers include New Zealand’s Ish Sodhi with 150, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan (149), and Mustafizur Rahman (142).
At the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Afghanistan lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz early, but Sedikullah and Ibrahim built an 84-run second-wicket partnership. Sedikullah played a controlled innings, scoring 54 off 40 balls with three sixes and four fours. Ibrahim made 63 off 40 balls, adding stability to the innings.
Towards the end, Karim Janat unleashed a quickfire 23 off 10 balls, while Azmatullah Omarzai remained unbeaten on 20 off 12. Afghanistan finished strongly with 188/4 in 20 overs.
In the chase, Wasim again starred for the UAE, scoring 67 off 37 balls with six sixes and four fours. However, Afghanistan’s bowlers kept the opposition under control, and the hosts could not mount a serious challenge. Lower-order contributions from Rahul Chopra (52 off 35*) reduced the defeat margin but weren’t enough to prevent a 38-run loss.
Match Summary
- Afghanistan: 188/4 in 20 overs
(Gurbaz 7, Sedikullah 54, Ibrahim 63, Rasuli 10, Omarzai 20, Karim 23; Junaid 4-0-34-0, Rohid 4-0-34-2, Haider 4-0-28-0, Sagir 4-0-52-2, Dhruv 3-0-30-0, Harshit 1-0-8-0) - United Arab Emirates: 150/8 in 20 overs
(Zohaib 7, Wasim 67, D’Souza 12, Rahul 52, Asif 1, Kaushik 4, Dhruv 1, Sagir 0, Haider 2, Junaid 1; Mujib 4-0-36-0, Faruki 3-0-24-1, Ashraf 4-0-24-3, Omarzai 3-0-36-0, Rashid 4-0-21-3, Nabi 2-0-9-1)
