Muhammad Waseem surpasses Rohit Sharma's record in T20I cricket

SHARJAH: UAE captain Muhammad Waseem etched his name in the record books on Monday, surpassing India’s Rohit Sharma for the most sixes as a captain in T20 internationals during his side’s tri-nation clash against Afghanistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Waseem played a blistering knock of 67 off just 37 balls, striking six towering sixes and four boundaries. He overtook Sharma’s tally after dispatching Mujeeb-ur-Rahman for back-to-back maximums in the third over.

Remarkably, the opening batter reached the milestone in only 54 innings, compared to Sharma’s 62.

Most sixes as captain in T20I cricket:

• 110* – Muhammad Waseem (UAE)
• 105 – Rohit Sharma (IND)
• 86 – Eoin Morgan (ENG)
• 82 – Aaron Finch (AUS)
• 79 – Kadowaki Fleming (JPN)
• 69 – Jos Buttler (ENG)

Waseem’s explosive batting also propelled him past former New Zealand opener Martin Guptill, moving him to second place behind Sharma in the all-time list of most sixes in T20Is.

Most sixes in T20I cricket:

• Rohit Sharma (IND) – 205 sixes in 159 matches
• Muhammad Waseem (UAE) – 176 sixes in 80 matches
• Martin Guptill (NZ) – 173 sixes in 122 matches
• Jos Buttler (ENG) – 160 sixes in 137 matches

Despite Waseem’s heroics, UAE fell short in their chase of Afghanistan’s 189-run target. They were restricted to 150-8 in their 20 overs, suffering a 38-run defeat.

Earlier, Afghanistan posted 188-4 after being asked to bat first. Sediqullah Atal top-scored with a quickfire 54 off 30 balls, while Ibrahim Zadran anchored the innings with 63 off 40, laced with four sixes and three fours.

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.