Abu Dhabi: Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan Sunday became the quickest bowler to pick 400 T20 wickets during his team’s Super 12 match against New Zealand at the ongoing Men’s T20 World Cup.
With this, Rashid joined an elite list of cricketers, who have scalped 400 wickets in T20 cricket. He is the 4th bowler after Dwayne Bravo (553), Sunil Narine (425), and Imran Tahir (420) to achieve the milestone.
The 23-year-old spinner achieved the feat in his 289th T20 match and New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill became his 400th victim in the shortest format of the game.
Dwayne Bravo, who played his last international match on Saturday, was the first bowler to pick 400 T20 wickets in 364 games. Later, he also became the first bowler to cross 500 T20 wickets. Two other bowlers that followed him to the feat are Imran Tahir (in 320 matches) and Sunil Narine (in 362 matches).
Earlier in the tournament, the Afghan spinner had become the fastest bowler to take 100 wickets in T20Is during Afghanistan’s Super 12 match against Pakistan. Only three other bowlers — Tim Southee, Shakib Al Hasan, and Lasith Malinga have taken 100 wickets in T20Is.
Rashid picked his 100th wicket in only his 53rd match, surpassing Sri Lankan pace legend Lasith Malinga’s previous record of reaching the landmark in his 76th game.