Rashid Khan Becomes Leading Wicket-Taker In T20Is With Vintage Spell Vs UAE

Rashid Khan celebrating a wicket [Source: AFP Photos]

Rashid Khan spun Afghanistan back into the game against UAE in match number three of the 2025 UAE tri-series. Defending 189 runs for a win at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, the Afghanistan skipper picked up the key wickets of UAE middle-order batters Ethan D'Souza and Asif Khan in quick succession.

Remarkably, Rashid Khan also claimed a huge T20I record through the course of his match-winning spell, going past a certain New Zealand legend for the ultimate crown.

Rashid Khan Spins A Web, Strangles UAE Into Submission

Chasing 189, UAE raced to a blazing start of 66-1 at the end of the opening six-over powerplay period. However, Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan took the wheels out of UAE’s belligerent pursuit by picking up the wicket of number three batter Ethan D'Souza for a near run-a-ball 12.

In the first ball of his following over, the legendary spinner castled dangerman Asif Khan for just a single, doing so soon after Sharafuddin Ashraf got the better of UAE opener and well-set half-centurion Muhammad Waseem.

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Rashid Khan picked up another wicket, that of Dhruv Parashar in his final over to finish his four-over quota with exceptional figures of 3-21, paving way for a comprehensive Afghanistan win after their demoralizing defeat to Pakistan in the UAE T20I tri-series 2025 opener.

Rashid Khan’s match-winning spell also made him the most successful bowler in the history of T20I cricket, as he went past hitherto leading wicket-taker and former New Zealand cricketer Tim Southee in the process. Much like former Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (in Tests and ODIs), the Afghanistan enigma machine now rules the T20I stage with unflinching authority.

Here is a look at five of the most successful T20I bowlers in history in terms of number of wickets taken:

List Of Bowlers With Most T20I Wickets

Rashid Khan also extended his overall T20 tally to 664 wickets in just 484 innings, thus extending his dominance over second-placed Dwayne Bravo as the greatest of the truncated game.

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