Bhutan's Sonam Yeshey reaches an iconic feat: Becomes first to pick a T20I 8-fer

Sonam Yeshey got 8/7 vs Myanmar [Source: yeeshey_xi/instagram.com]

While the Ashes had all eyes on it on the Boxing Day morning, the associate cricket saw a young left-arm spinner from Bhutan, Sonam Yeshey, reach an unprecedented feat of picking a whopping eight wickets in a T20I match, becoming the only cricketer (male or female) to do so as Bhutan faced Myanmar in their third T20I of the series at the Gelephu International Cricket Ground.

With his 8/7 figures from the quota of 4 overs, the 22-year-old guided Bhutan to a lopsided win as they defended their total of 127/9 by dismantling Myanmar for just 45. His wickets included 6 of the top-7 batters, followed by two tail-enders, while Anand Mongar got 2/3. Notably, he also caught two catches off his own bowling to get rid of Thuya Aung and Kaung Htet Kyaw.

Best bowling figures in T20Is

While he won't participate in the T20 World Cup, as Bhutan did not qualify for the competition, thanks to this 8/7, Sonam went past Syazrul Idru and Ali Dawood's best figures in T20I cricket to sit alone at the top. Previously, the duo were the only two to pick 7-fers in the shortest format, while the feat had been achieved by four female cricketers, i.e., Rohmaila (7/0), Fredrique Overdijk (7/3), Alison Stocks (7/3) and Samanthi Dunukedeniya (7/15).

Best figures in Men's T20Is

1. Sonam Yeshey (BHU) vs Mynmar, 2025 - 8/7 (4)

2. Syazrul Idrus (MAS) vs China, 2023 - 7/8 (4)

3. Ali Dawood (MYAN) vs Bhutan, 2025 -  7/19 (4)

4. Harsha Bharadwaj (SGP) vs Mongollia, 2024 - 6/3 (4)

5. Peter Aho (NIG) vs Sierra Leone, 2021 - 6/5 (3.4)

With this 82 run win in Gelepu, Bhutan clinched the T20I series 3-0 and eventually also won the fourth and fifth T20Is by margins of 121 and 84 runs, respectively to finish 5-0. Yeshey got 13 wickets in the series.

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