Rashid Khan of Afghanistan should be at the top of the list when it comes to leg-spin, especially in Twenty20 cricket. Rashid stands out from the rest because of his exceptional wicket-taking skills, which also earn him extra respect from the opposition batters. The dynamic Afghan spinner is well-known in the franchise leagues and has achieved great success internationally as well. However, the rise of Pakistan's Shadab Khan and Sri Lanka's Hasaranga de Silva has seriously jeopardized Rashid's undisputed supremacy as the world's best leg-spinner. Let's look at who is now the top Asian leg-spinner and has the best recent T20 records on the international scene.

Shadab, Rashid, and Hasaranga's T20I bowling stats: What do the stats indicate?

Rashid Khan, one of the three, made his T20I debut for the Afghanistan national team against Zimbabwe in 2015. Shadab Khan competed in his maiden Twenty20 international match against the West Indies two years later, in 2017. Hasaranga de Silva of Sri Lanka, on the other hand, made his T20I debut against New Zealand in 2019. Predictably, Rashid Khan has played the most T20Is, with 71, followed by Shadab Khan with 68 and Hasaranga with 43. The average, strike rate, and economy rate of each player's T20I statistics are pretty comparable.

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Hasaranga de Silva, Rashid Khan, and Shadab Khan's T20I statistics (as on September 9, 2022)

   Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/

Rashid Khan is now the second-highest T20I wicket-taker with 118 wickets under his belt. However, Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva of Sri Lanka has been the most productive bowler in terms of taking wickets during the past 12 months. He has taken 52 wickets in 30 innings at a 13.96 average since 2021. Sandeep Lamichhane of Nepal is currently in second place, but nearly all of his wickets have come against associate nations.

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Leg-spinners Adam Zampa of Australia, Adil Rashid of England, and IS Sodhi of New Zealand all have outstanding averages and strike rates in the T20 format over the past 12 months. Rashid Khan has taken 29 wickets during this period, while Shadab Khan has bagged 23. But when it comes to taking wickets over the past year, none of Rashid or Shadab can match Hasaranga.

Since the Twenty20 World Cup 2021, Hasaranga's strike rate has been at a different level. The best economy rate among these three players over the past 12 months belongs to Pakistan's Shadab Khan, whose overall numbers are exceptional. In contrast, Rashid lags behind these two players in terms of average, strike rate, and economy rate.

Hasaranga de Silva, Rashid Khan, and Shadab Khan's T20I statistics (since T20 World Cup 2021)

  Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/

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Rashid Khan has kept up his form on the international stage, but during the past 12 months, Shadab Khan and Hasaranga de Silva have excelled even more for their respective national teams. As a result, Rashid cannot be regarded as Asia's top Twenty20 cricket leg-spinner at the moment.

Bottom Line

Hasaranga de Silva, Rashid Khan, and Shadab Khan all have exceptional leg-spin skills. Hasaranga probably has a knack for getting wickets through enticing the batters. He has therefore outperformed the other two players in terms of strike rate over the past 12 months. Pakistan’s Shadab usually focuses on keeping a tight line and length while being efficient. Rashid Khan, on the other hand, is the most experienced and is aware of what it takes to always remain consistent. It is difficult to differentiate between them in terms of quality.

However, Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva of Sri Lanka appears to be in top form and can be dubbed the best Asian T20 leg-spinner right now as his stats speak for themselves.