Afghanistan captain achieves historic milestone during T20 World Cup clash against UAE

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Rashid Khan created history by becoming the first player to reach 700 wickets in T20 cricket, achieving the landmark during Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup match against United Arab Emirates in Delhi on Monday. Starting the match on 699 wickets, Rashid reached the milestone in the 16th over when he dismissed Muhammad Arfan hit wicket, as the batter attempted a reverse sweep and knocked over his own stumps.

The Afghanistan captain had been made to wait for the moment after taking his 698th and 699th wickets against South Africa last week and then bowling 3.2 overs without success in this match. He conceded 17 runs from the 20 balls he bowled before finally breaking through, and showed little celebration, with Afghanistan still needing a win and other results to go their way to qualify for the Super Eights.

Rashid has long been clear of the rest of the field in T20 wicket-taking. Retired West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo sits second on the all-time list with 631 wickets, while among active players Sunil Narine follows in third place with 613.

The milestone was also Rashid’s 191st wicket in T20 internationals for Afghanistan, extending his lead at the top of the T20I wicket charts. He is followed by New Zealand bowlers Tim Southee with 164 wickets and Ish Sodhi with 162.

Although Rashid has been slightly below his best since undergoing back surgery in 2023, recent performances point to a return to form. He was highly economical in Afghanistan’s series win against West Indies and followed it up with a controlled spell of 1 for 36 in the World Cup opener, finishing as Afghanistan’s second-most economical bowler behind Mujeeb Ur Rahman, even as New Zealand chased down the target with overs to spare.