Rashid reaches historic 700-wicket milestone in T20 cricket

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan became the first bowler in history to reach 700 wickets in T20 cricket during Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup clash against the UAE in Delhi on Monday.

Rashid entered the match on 699 wickets and achieved the landmark when UAE batter Muhammad Arfan was dismissed hit-wicket in the 16th over -- the spinner’s final over of the innings. Arfan attempted a reverse-sweep but missed the ball and struck his stumps, handing Rashid his milestone wicket.

The Afghanistan skipper had been made to wait after taking his 698th and 699th wickets against South Africa last week. He bowled 3.2 overs in the match without success and had conceded 17 runs from his first 20 deliveries before the breakthrough finally arrived. Rashid kept celebrations minimal as Afghanistan were still fighting to stay alive in the tournament.

Rashid has long led the wicket-taking charts in the format. Retired all-rounder Dwayne Bravo sits second with 631 wickets, while fellow spinner Sunil Narine is the closest active player behind him with 613 wickets.

The 700th scalp was also Rashid’s 191st wicket in T20 internationals for Afghanistan, extending his lead as the format’s highest wicket-taker at international level. New Zealand pacer Tim Southee follows with 164 wickets, ahead of leg-spinner Ish Sodhi on 162.

Speaking earlier in the tournament, Rashid had downplayed the milestone, saying he did not set specific targets and remained focused on contributing fully whenever representing Afghanistan.

Despite being regarded as the most prolific wicket-taker in the format’s history, the Afghanistan captain has operated slightly below his peak since undergoing back surgery in 2023. However, he showed encouraging form in Afghanistan’s recent series win over West Indies, conceding just 51 runs in 12 overs across three matches while taking five wickets.

In the World Cup opener against New Zealand, he returned figures of 1 for 36, finishing as Afghanistan’s second-most economical bowler behind Mujeeb Ur Rahman as New Zealand chased down Afghanistan’s total of 182 with more than two overs remaining.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan kept their slim Super Eight hopes alive with a five-wicket victory over the UAE. All-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai starred with both bat and ball, claiming 4-15 before smashing an unbeaten 40 off 21 balls to guide his side home with four balls to spare.

Sohaib Khan’s 68 helped UAE recover to 160-9 after being sent in to bat, but Omarzai’s all-round display proved decisive as Afghanistan registered their first win of the tournament.

The result confirmed group leaders South Africa’s place in the Super Eight stage alongside defending champions India and two-time winners West Indies. New Zealand remain favourites to secure the other qualification spot from Group D.

“Always important to have a win at the World Cup and let’s hope for the best in the rest of the competition,” Rashid said after the match.

“We still have a little bit of hope that we can make it to the next stage. We just need to come up with a positive mindset. Even if we don’t make it, we want to play with the same brand of cricket and make our nation proud."