Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan made history on Monday by becoming the first bowler to reach 700 wickets in T20 cricket during the ongoing World Cup 2026 match against UAE.
The milestone came at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi when Rashid dismissed Muhammad Arfan in the 16th over, completing his final over of the match without further success.
The spinner had claimed his 698th and 699th scalps against South Africa last week, then bowled 3.2 overs against UAE, conceding 17 runs in 20 deliveries without taking a wicket.
Arfan missed a reverse sweep and broke his stumps, handing Rashid the historic wicket, though celebrations stayed muted as Afghanistan still needed favorable results to qualify.
Rashid has long been the leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket, ahead of retired all-rounder Dwayne Bravo with 631 wickets, while Sunil Narine ranks third among active players with 613 wickets.
His 700th wicket was also his 191st for Afghanistan, putting him ahead of the New Zealand bowlers Tim Southee, who has 164, and Ish Sodhi, who has claimed 162 wickets in T20 internationals.
|
Player
|
Mat
|
Inns
|
Wkts
|
BBI
|
Ave
|
Econ
|
|
Rashid Khan
|
114* | 114 | 191 | 5/3 | 13.77 | 6.05 |
|
TG Southee
|
126 | 123 | 164 | 5/18 | 22.38 | 8.00 |
|
IS Sodhi
|
137 | 131 | 162 | 4/12 | 22.85 | 8.14 |
|
Mustafizur Rahman
|
126 | 125 | 158 | 6/10 | 20.96 | 7.28 |
|
AU Rashid
|
140 | 133 | 155 | 4/2 | 23.43 | 7.47 |
The milestone had been widely discussed before the World Cup, with the leg-break spinner stating he would not stop at 700 wickets and always gives 100 percent effort for the national team.
Although Rashid has not fully regained his best form since back surgery in 2023, he impressed during the recent series win over West Indies, taking five wickets for 51 runs across three matches.
In Afghanistan’s World Cup opener, Rashid took 1/36, their second-most economical figures, as New Zealand chased 182 with over two overs remaining.
