Sports

Rashid Khan Becomes First Bowler to 200 T20I Wickets as Afghanistan Turn Around Series

By icc

Rashid Khan reached a historic milestone by becoming the first bowler to take 200 wickets in T20 International cricket. The achievement came in his 120th T20I appearance during Afghanistan’s series against Zimbabwe. England’s Adil Rashid is second on the list with 171 wickets from 153 matches. Afghanistan’s victory was built on a dramatic batting comeback. After being 5/4 in the powerplay, the team lost a fifth wicket in the ninth over. A partnership of 142 runs between Azmatullah Omar Omar and Ijaz Ahmadzai lifted the score. Omar Omar scored his maiden T20I century, the fourth Afghan to reach a hundred in the format, hitting 12 sixes and five fours. Afghanistan finished 221/7, the first time a team has scored over 200 after losing its first four wickets for less than 20 runs, and the third‑highest total in T20Is. Zimbabwe were chasing a large target and were under pressure from the start. They were 5/85 midway through the innings but continued to fight in the final ten overs. Captain Sikandar Raza scored his second T20I century, with five fours and nine sixes. Despite the effort, Afghanistan secured a 37‑run win in the first match, a 19‑run win in the second, and took the series 2‑0 with a third match scheduled for 1 November. Source: Original article