Rashid Khan becomes first bowler to reach 200 T20I wickets as Afghanistan complete comeback

Rashid Khan became the first bowler to claim 200 wickets in men’s T20I cricket during Afghanistan’s dramatic turnaround against Zimbabwe.

The Afghanistan spinner reached the milestone in his 120th appearance in the format. England’s Adil Rashid is second on the list with 171 wickets from 153 matches.

Rashid’s achievement followed a remarkable batting recovery by Afghanistan. After being sent in, the team slipped to 5/4 during the powerplay, before losing a fifth wicket in the ninth over.

Azmatullah Omarzai and Ijaz Ahmadzai then changed the course of the innings with a 142-run partnership, the highest for the sixth wicket or lower in T20Is. Omarzai scored his maiden T20I century, becoming Afghanistan’s fourth batter to reach three figures in the format. His innings featured 12 sixes and five additional boundaries, while Ijaz Ahmadzai made 52.

Afghanistan finished on 221/7 from 20 overs, the first time a team had scored more than 200 in a T20I after losing its opening four wickets for fewer than 20 runs. It was also Afghanistan’s third-highest total in the format.

Zimbabwe struggled early in the chase and were reduced to 85/5 midway through their innings, but captain Sikandar Raza kept the pursuit alive with his second T20I century, including five fours and nine sixes.

Afghanistan eventually secured victory and an unassailable lead in the three-match series. They had won the first T20I by 37 runs on 27 October and the second by 19 runs on 29 October.