Rashid Khan’s solitary wicket in losing cause helps him achieve rare T20 feat

SportsTak

Afghanistan spin sensation Rashid Khan could not win the crucial match for his side against New Zealand but with the solitary wicket achieved a rare feat. The 23-year-old spinner has engraved his name in the list of players who have taken 400 wickets in T20 cricket (T20Is, franchise cricket and national tournaments included).

 

Rashid got to the 400-wicket with the wicket of New Zealand opener Martin Guptill. The kiwi opener tried to slog-sweep Rashid’s wrong one but couldn’t connect as the fuller delivery went through and hit the stumps. With this wicket, Rashid is now the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the format. One of the most interesting things about Rashid’s achievement is that he has taken 400 wickets in just six years, defining his dominance in cricket leagues and international cricket across the world. Reaching the mark in his 289th match, Rashid is also the fastest to 400 wickets.  

 

Fantastic six years

The Afghan spinner has played 289 T20 matches since his debut in 2015. Apart from playing for Afghanistan, Rashid has played in almost every T20 league and has made his impact for every franchise. The leggie has an economy of 6.35 and has best bowling figures of 5/3. On three occasions he has been able to pick a five-wicket haul in a match. In the Indian Premier League (IPL) Rashid has been playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for the last four years and has been one of their biggest match winners.

 

Bravo tops the list

West Indian veteran all-rounder Dwayne Bravo leads the list a big margin with 553 wickets in 512 matches. Bravo is followed by his teammate Sunil Narine with 425 wickets in 383 matches. South African spinner Imran Tahir is at number three with 420 wickets in 334 matches. Next to Rashid is Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib-Al-Hasan who has 398 wickets to his name and the leading wicket-taker in T20Is. Seeing Rashid’s age and years left in his career, he may end up at the top with the most number of wickets to his name as the top three bowlers are expected to retire from all forms of cricket in the next few years.