The Afghanistan’s leggie had recorded 99 scalps before facing Pakistan and reached the milestone by picking up Mohammad Hafeez’s prized wicket.
Afghanistan’s rise in world cricket has primarily been due to its clever spinners, and Rashid Khan has been at the heart of it. As he picked up Pakistan veteran Mohammad Hafeez’s wicket yesterday in the T20 World Cup clash, he wrote another chapter for himself in cricket’s record books. Later in the game, he bamboozled Babar Azam in typical Rashid Khan fashion.
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The 23-year-old became the quickest bowler to reach 100 wickets, breaking Lasith Malinga’s feat of 76 innings. Only Lasith Malinga (76), Tim Southee (82), and Shakib Al Hasan (83) hit the milestone before Khan: However, Rashid got there in just 53 matches.
Since making his T20I debut in 2015, Rashid has caused havoc against every opponent one can think of. He has picked 101 wickets in 53 innings, at an economy rate of 6.19, a strike rate of 11.8, and an average of 12.22. He has recorded four 4-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls in the process.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad star’s favourite opponent has been Ireland, picking up 34 wickets in just 13 matches. Two of his four-wicket hauls and two of his five-wicket hauls have also come against the Irish. The only opponent he hasn’t picked up a wicket against is South Africa.
India and the UAE have been his favourite hunting grounds, as he has picked up a combined 77 wickets in those countries. A significant reason for this is that both countries have an abundance of spin-friendly pitches.
“The wickets here are mostly very good for spinners, so I think that’s the main reason most of the teams have more spinners in their attack,”
he told AFP.
Rashid admitted that the wickets during the second leg of the Indian Premier League were good but did not offer much turn. However, he believes that as the T20I World Cup progresses, the pitches will wear out and start getting slower and slower, which will benefit the spinners.
