Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has created history in T20 cricket after becoming the all-time leading wicket-taker in the game. During the first SA20 Qualifier on Tuesday between MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals, he reached 632 wickets by taking the scalp of Dunith Wellalage -one more than West Indies legend Dwayne Bravo, who called time on his career in September 2024.
“That’s a huge achievement,” Rashid told the broadcaster. “Ten years ago, if you had asked me if I would be in that place, I never thought about it. Proud to be from Afghanistan that I made it to such a high level-who has the most wickets. DJ is one of the greatest T20 bowlers. It’s a privilege and I’m looking forward to continuing.”
A fierce leg-spin from Rashid that ended with Dinesh Karthik as the second-wicket, he ended his spell with impressive 2/33 in four-overs, and MI Cape Town was into the finals by winning the match by 39 runs.
He is among the most sought-after cricketers in the T20 leagues across the globe, including IPL, BBL, CPL, SA20, The Hundred, ILT20, and MLC. The record came during his 461st T20 game while Bravo had his 631 wickets from 582 matches.
Most wickets in T20 cricket
| S. No | Name | Matches | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rashid Khan | 461 | 633 |
| 2 | Dwayne Bravo | 582 | 631 |
| 3 | Sunil Narine | 536 | 674 |
| 4 | Imran Tahir | 428 | 531 |
| 5 | Shakib Al Hasan | 444 | 492 |
| 6 | Andre Russell | 538 | 466 |
| 7 | Chris Jordan | 396 | 416 |
| 8 | Wahab Riaz | 348 | 413 |
| 9 | Lasith Malinga | 295 | 390 |
| 10 | Sohail Tanvir | 388 | 389 |
Since making his T20 debut at the age of just 17 years, against Zimbabwe in 2015, representing Afghanistan, he has gone on to become one of the tournament’s best bowlers, bamboozling batsmen from around the world.
He is no mug either with the bat and can hit the ball out of the park.
At 26 years old, the young man has already won the IPL and the PSL. This week, he will seek to add the SA20 title to his already rich resume when he leads MI Cape Town in the showpiece.
Rashid is presently playing for the IPL team Gujarat Titans, which retained him when the former champions cracked a bling sum of Rs 15 crore last year.
