Rashid Khan becomes first to 700 T20 wickets with bizarre career-first

Rashid Khan gets to 700 with first-ever hit-wicket dismissal

Rashid had entered the tournament with 696 wickets in the format, and proceeded to pick up one wicket against New Zealand in Chennai and two against South Africa in Ahmedabad to take his tally to 699. His 700th came in bizarre circumstances against UAE in Delhi, with Muhammad Arfan hitting his own stumps trying to reverse sweep the spinner.

The Afghanistan captain was his usual economical self but entered his fourth over wicketless. Sohaib Khan, who hit a 48-ball 68, welcomed Rashid with a six, but a single off the next ball brought Arfan on strike, who was dismissed hit wicket on the over’s third delivery. He eventually finished with figures of 1-24.

This was Rashid’s first hit-wicket dismissal in T20 cricket. He leads the second-placed Dwayne Bravo by 69 wickets now, while Sunil Narine is third with 613. Imran Tahir (572) and Andre Russell (508) complete the top five.

Rashid is also the top wicket-taker in T20I cricket, with 191 wickets to his name, and is the second in T20 World Cups with 41, behind Shakib Al Hasan (50).

UAE, meanwhile, posted 160-9 after looking on course to a much bigger total when Sohaib and Alishan Sharfu were going strong, having put up an 84-run stand for the second wicket. But the latter’s dismissal reduced UAE to 97-3 in the 12th over, and then to 114-4 and 121-6. An 18-run 18th over eventually took them to 160.

 

Afghanistan’s chase wasn’t straightforward after they lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz on the second ball of the innings. Ibrahim Zadran’s 53 took them closer, while Azmatullah Omarazai (40 off 21) finished the proceedings in the last over with a boundary. Darwish Rasooli chipped in with 33 as well to help Afghanistan register their first win of the tournament.

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