Rashid Khan has become only the fourth bowler in T20I history to record a century of wickets. He took out Mohammed Hafeez to achieve the feat against Pakistan in Dubai, and it only took him 54 games to do so. Rashid now holds the rare distinction of being the fastest bowler in both ODIs and T20Is to pick up 100 wickets. In his 44th match of 2018, he achieved the feat in the 50-over format too.
Rashid, who made his Afghanistan debut at the age of 17, is one of the most in-demand players in international cricket. He’s already appeared in 51 T20 international matches and over 280 T20 games for franchises all over the world.
His career has taken him to England, Australia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, and, of course, the Indian Premier League, where he has been a regular for Sunrisers Hyderabad since 2017. He previously stated that the wickets in the UAE will become slower and slower, assisting his bowling. In an exclusive interview with AFP, he said, “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.”
Only four players have taken 100 T20I wickets so far. Rashid is the fastest to achieve the feat, taking only 54 games to do so. Lasith Malinga came in second with 76 innings pitched. Tim Southee of New Zealand is third on the list with 82 innings. It took Shakib one more step to get there. Rashid debuted in T20Is in 2015 against Zimbabwe and hasn’t looked back since. He has taken 100 wickets at an incredible average of 12 and an economy rate of just over 6.
Last year, the Afghan cricketer was named the ICC’s T20I Player of the Decade for his outstanding performance in the game’s shortest format.
