Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan became the first cricketer in history to claim 700 wickets in T20 cricket during his side’s group-stage encounter of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 against the United Arab Emirates national cricket team at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday. Rashid achieved the milestone in the 16th over of the UAE innings when he dismissed Muhammad Arfan, who was out hit-wicket while attempting a reverse sweep.
Arfan departed without scoring, having faced two deliveries, as Rashid finished with figures of 1 for 24 from his four overs, helping Afghanistan restrict the UAE to 160 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs after opting to field first. With Arfan’s dismissal, Rashid brought up the historic landmark of 700 wickets, achieving the feat in just 513 innings.
T20 World Cup: Afghanistan vs UAE Highlights
The wrist-spinner boasts a remarkable average of 18.51 and an economy rate of 6.59, with four five-wicket hauls to his name. At just 27, Rashid has surged well clear of the competition in terms of wickets in the shortest format. Former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo sits second on the all-time list with 631 wickets. Among active players, Sunil Narine is closest to Rashid with 613 scalps, placing him third overall.
Rashid also leads the charts in T20 Internationals with 191 wickets to his name. Retired New Zealand seamer Tim Southee occupies second place with 164 wickets, while his compatriot Ish Sodhi is third with 162.
Afghanistan remain alive in tournament
Meanwhile, Afghanistan defeated the UAE by five wickets to register their first win of the T20 World Cup 2026. Chasing a target of 161, Afghanistan were rocked early, losing Rahmanullah Gurbaz (0 off 2) and Gulbadin Naib (13 off 12) inside the powerplay. However, Ibrahim Zadran held the innings together with a fine half-century (53 off 41). Later, Darwish Rasooli (33 off 23) and Azmatullah Omarzai (40* off 21) guided their side over the line with valuable contributions.
Following their maiden win of the tournament, Afghanistan climbed to third place in the standings with one victory from three matches and will next face Canada national cricket team in their final group fixture on 19 February at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
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