Rashid Khan overtakes Tim Southee to become leading T20I wicket-taker

SHARJAH: Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan achieved a historic milestone on Monday during the T20I tri-nation series match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Rashid claimed three wickets in the contest, surpassing former New Zealand pacer Tim Southee to become the all-time leading wicket-taker in men’s T20 internationals. 

The star leg-spinner now has 165 wickets in 98 matches at an economy rate of 6.07. Southee, who previously held the record, has 164 wickets from 126 matches at an economy of 8.00.

Most wickets in T20I cricket:

Player	Country	Wickets
Rashid Khan	Afghanistan	165*
Tim Southee	New Zealand	164
Ish Sodhi	New Zealand	150
Shakib Al Hasan	Bangladesh	149
Mustafizur Rahman	Bangladesh	142

This achievement came as Afghanistan secured their first win of the tri-series with a convincing 38-run victory over UAE in the third match.

Batting first, Afghanistan posted 188-4 in 20 overs, powered by half-centuries from Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran. 

Zadran top-scored with 63 off 40 balls, including three fours and four sixes, while Atal contributed 54 off 40 deliveries, striking four boundaries and three sixes. 

Azmatullah Omarzai chipped in with a quick 20 off 12 balls, and Karim Janat added late fireworks with 23 off just 10.

In reply, UAE could only manage 150-8 despite a valiant effort from captain Muhammad Waseem and wicketkeeper-batter Rahul Chopra. 

Waseem hammered 67 off 37 balls, laced with four fours and six sixes, while Chopra remained unbeaten on 52 off 35, hitting three boundaries and three sixes. 

However, the rest of the batting lineup faltered, with only Ethan D’Souza (12) reaching double figures.

With this win, Afghanistan climbed to second place on the points table. Pakistan lead the standings with two wins from two matches, while UAE are yet to register a victory.

The Rashid Khan-led side will now face Pakistan in their next fixture at the same venue on Tuesday.