New Delhi: Afghanistan's veteran leg-spinner Rashid Khan completed the 400th wicket-mark in competitive T20 cricket during the T20 World Cup match against New Zealand on Sunday. The 23-year-old spinner reached this milestone by dismissing opener Martin Guptill in the ninth over of New Zealand's innings.
Rashid Khan achieved this feat in his 289th T20 match, setting a new record. Before him, only three other bowlers have crossed the 400-wicket mark in T20 cricket. Dwayne Bravo is the first-ever player to take 400 wickets in the shortest format of the game, having achieved it in 364 matches. The West Indies all-rounder, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, has more than 500 wickets in T20 cricket. Bravo has picked 563 wickets in 512 T20I matches.
List of other players who have taken 400 T20I wickets
Imran Tahir (in 320 matches) and Sunil Narine (in 362 matches) are also included in the elite list of bowlers who have picked 400 wickets in T20 Internationals. As Rashid completes his 400 T20I wickets, the star leggie has given 6.34 runs per over during this period and only Sunil Narine's figures are better than him among those who have played more than 200 matches.
Rashid Khan had recently earlier become the fastest bowler to take 100 wickets in T20 Internationals in this T20 World Cup match against Pakistan.
He had broken the record (76 matches) of Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga by attaining the mega feat in just 53 T20I matches. Apart from Rashid and Malinga, Tim Southee and Shakib Al Hasan have taken 100 wickets in T20 Internationals.