Afghanistan spinner and captain Rashid Khan made history in Men T20: He claimed the highest number of wickets when his team United Arab Emirates (UAE) held a match against Afghanistan in Sharjah, Monday, September 1. Having scored 3/11 in his four overs, the leg-spinner played a magnificent part and helped Afghanistan to win by 38 runs. His 165 T20I wickets were the highest ever in the format, and exceeded the previous record of former New Zealand bowler Tim Southee.
The highlight of Rashid’s performance came towards the end of his third spell, as he located the outside edge of Dhruv Parashar, pouched successfully by another fielder Mohammad Ishaq who was replacing the injured one. He had sacked Asif Khan and Ethan D’Souza, the latter having been on par with Southee prior to him clinching the all-time record. His performance triggered a middle-order meltdown which would prove fatal after Sharafuddin Ashraf had removed Muhammad Waseem who had smashed a blistering 67 off just 37 deliveries.
Most wickets in Men’s T20Is
| Sr. No. | Player | Team | Wickets | Average | Economy |
| 1 | Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 165 | 13.75 | 6.07 |
| 2 | Tim Southee | New Zealand | 164 | 22.38 | 8.00 |
| 3 | Ish Sodhi | New Zealand | 150 | 22.52 | 7.95 |
| 4 | Shakib Al Hasan | Bangladesh | 149 | 20.91 | 6.81 |
| 5 | Mustafizur Rahman | Bangladesh | 142 | 20.84 | 7.30 |
A solid batting foundation for Afghanistan’s triumph was provided by Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal’s 84-run partnership. Atal anchored the innings with his first T20I half-century, while Zadran hit a smooth 63 off 40 balls. Afghanistan reached a competitive 188 thanks to their foundation, which enabled lower middle-order batsmen Karim Janat and Azmatullah Omarzai to unleash pyrotechnics, scoring 49 runs in a three-over burst.
Rahul Chopra put up a brave fight with an undefeated fifty-two off thirty-five balls, while Muhammad Rohid Khan made an impression with two wickets in his innings for the United Arab Emirates. But the hosts failed miserably due to the absence of reliable alliances.
The match was place as part of the current triangular series between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the United Arab Emirates. Pakistan, who has already won twice, will play Afghanistan on Tuesday. Each team will play twice thanks to the tournament format, and the top two teams will advance to the final on September 7.
