Rashid becomes first to 700 wickets in T20 cricket

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan etched his name deeper into cricket history on Monday, becoming the first bowler to claim 700 wickets in T20 cricket during Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup clash against the UAE in Delhi.

Rashid reached the landmark when he dismissed Muhammad Arfan in the 16th over of the UAE innings. Arfan attempted a reverse sweep but missed the ball entirely and dragged it onto his stumps, handing Rashid his milestone wicket via a hit-wicket dismissal. The over was Rashid’s final one of the match.

The legspinner had begun the game on 699 wickets and endured a brief wait for the historic moment. He had taken his 698th and 699th wickets against South Africa the previous week, and bowled 3.2 overs without success earlier in the UAE innings. Before the breakthrough, he conceded 17 runs from 20 deliveries. Despite the achievement, Rashid kept celebrations muted, with Afghanistan needing both a victory and favorable results elsewhere to progress to the Super Eights.

Rashid has long been out in front among T20 cricket’s leading wicket-takers. Retired allrounder Dwayne Bravo sits second on the all-time list with 631 wickets. Among active players, Sunil Narine is next in line with 613 wickets, placing him third overall.

The Afghan star also leads the wicket charts in T20 internationals. His 700th wicket was also his 191st in T20Is for Afghanistan. Trailing him in the international standings are New Zealand’s Tim Southee with 164 wickets and Ish Sodhi with 162.

The milestone had been widely discussed in the buildup to the T20 World Cup. Speaking ahead of Afghanistan’s game against South Africa last week, Rashid downplayed the personal significance of the mark. “700 wickets, whatever the achievement is, it will continue,” he said. “I have not kept any target in my mind that I will take 700 wickets and stop. When I play for the national team at the World Cup, I make 100% effort. When the team requires it, I take the wicket.”

Although widely regarded as the most prolific wicket-taker in T20 history, Rashid has been working his way back to peak form since undergoing back surgery in 2023. Encouraging signs emerged in Afghanistan’s recent series win over the West Indies, where he conceded just 51 runs in 12 overs across three matches while claiming five wickets in high-scoring contests.

In Afghanistan’s opening World Cup fixture against New Zealand, Rashid returned figures of 1 for 36, finishing as his side’s second-most economical bowler behind Mujeeb Ur Rahman, though New Zealand chased down Afghanistan’s 182 with more than two overs to spare.

With 700 wickets now to his name, Rashid’s dominance in the shortest format continues to set new benchmarks, even as Afghanistan fight to keep their World Cup campaign alive.