Fast-bowler Rashid Khan surpasses T20I wickets record shortly after ascending to the top spot on the all-time T20 chart.
Rashid Khan, the Afghan spin wizard, made history in a tri-series match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on September 1, becoming the highest wicket-taker in T20 Internationals (T20Is).
In his 98th T20I inning, Khan surpassed Dwayne Bravo's tally of 631 wickets, a milestone he achieved during the SA20 Qualifier 1 for season champions MI Cape Town.
Khan finished the match with figures of 3-21, including the dismissal of UAE's Ethan D'Souza lbw for 12 off the first ball of the ninth over, Asif Khan for one in his next over, and Dhruv Parashar for one in the 15th over.
The victory was set up by twin fifties from Sediqullah Atal (54) and Ibrahim Zadran (63) in the first innings, which helped Afghanistan post a challenging total of 188 runs.
Chasing 189, UAE started off well, reaching 76-1 after eight overs. However, Khan's spell with the ball turned the tide in Afghanistan's favour, virtually sealing the victory for the team.
Interestingly, only one other Full Member player, Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga, with a strike rate of 13.2, has taken at least 100 wickets with a better strike rate than Khan's 13.5.
Tim Southee, the previous record-holder, took 25 innings more than Khan for his 164 wickets. Khan's average of 13.75 is the best among Full Member players who have taken a minimum of 50 wickets in T20Is.
As of now, Khan has 664 T20 wickets at an average of 18.47 and an economy rate of 6.59 from 489 matches.
The table below shows the top 10 wicket-takers in men's T20Is, with Khan leading the list.
| Player | Team | Span | Innings | Wickets | Average | Economy | |--------|------|------|---------|---------|---------|----------| | Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 2015-present | 98 | 664 | 18.47 | 6.59 | | Dwayne Bravo | West Indies | 2006-present | 237 | 631 | 20.79 | 7.06 | | Lasith Malinga | Sri Lanka | 2006-2021 | 225 | 335 | 20.39 | 7.98 | | Shahid Afridi | Pakistan | 2006-2018 | 191 | 395 | 20.64 | 7.05 | | Shakib Al Hasan | Bangladesh | 2006-present | 213 | 353 | 20.15 | 7.16 | | Saeed Ajmal | Pakistan | 2008-2015 | 113 | 184 | 15.79 | 6.53 | | Sunil Narine | West Indies | 2011-present | 157 | 217 | 19.31 | 6.56 | | Imran Tahir | South Africa | 2007-2021 | 169 | 246 | 20.44 | 6.68 | | Ajantha Mendis | Sri Lanka | 2008-2012 | 44 | 132 | 16.52 | 6.54 | | Wanindu Hasaranga | Sri Lanka | 2019-present | 48 | 119 | 13.20 | 6.16 |
This historic achievement by Rashid Khan further cements his position as one of the greatest spin bowlers in T20 cricket.
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