Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan has etched his name in history by becoming the first bowler to claim 700 wickets in recognized T20 cricket.
The leg-spinner achieved the monumental milestone during Afghanistan's T20 World Cup match against the United Arab Emirates at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday.
The historic moment arrived in the 16th over of the UAE innings. Rashid, bowling his final spell, dismissed batter Muhammad Irfan in unusual fashion. Attempting a reverse sweep, Irfan lost his balance and dislodged the bails, resulting in a hit-wicket dismissal.
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Rashid had been hovering on the brink of the record since the previous match against South Africa, where he took two wickets to reach 699. Despite the magnitude of the achievement, the Afghan skipper’s celebration was understated, as he appeared focused on the immediate challenge of Super Eight qualification.
With this feat, Rashid has established a significant lead at the top of the all-time T20 wicket-taking charts. His nearest rival is former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo with 631 wickets, while the closest active player is Sunil Narine with 613.
Rashid also tops the charts in T20 Internationals with 191 wickets, ahead of New Zealand’s Tim Southee (164) and Ish Sodhi (162).
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Speaking before the South Africa match last Tuesday, Rashid downplayed the personal accolade. “I didn’t set a goal to stop at 700 wickets. When I play for the country in the World Cup, my 100 percent effort is to take wickets according to the team’s needs,” he said.