New Delhi, February 16 – Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan has become the first player to claim 700 wickets in T20 cricket. The leg-spinner achieved this milestone during his team’s Group D match against the United Arab Emirates in the Men’s T20 World Cup at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Monday.
Rashid began the game with 699 wickets, and achieved the milestone when he dismissed Muhammad Arfan in the 16th over of the UAE innings. Arfan attempted a reverse sweep but missed, hitting his own stumps and getting out, handing Rashid his historic 700th T20 wicket.
The leg-spinner showed little celebration, as Afghanistan focused on securing victory over the UAE to keep their slim hopes of reaching the Super Eights alive. This achievement came after Rashid had been waiting, having taken his 698th and 699th wickets against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad last week.
In New Delhi, Rashid bowled 3.2 overs without success before finally getting the wicket. He conceded 17 runs in the 20 balls he bowled before Arfan's dismissal. Rashid has long been the leading wicket-taker in this format.
Retired West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo is in second place with 631 wickets, while off-spinner Sunil Narine is the closest active player, in third place with 613 wickets. Rashid is also the leading wicket-taker in T20Is with 191 wickets for Afghanistan. New Zealand’s retired pacer Tim Southee (164) and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi (162) trail him on that list.
Last week, Rashid told reporters, "Reaching 700 wickets is an achievement, but I don't have any specific target of taking 700 wickets and stopping. When I play for the national team in the World Cup, I give my 100% effort. And when the team needs it, I take the wickets."