Rashid Khan Becomes First Bowler in T20 History to Reach 700 Career Wickets

Kathmandu. Rashid Khan has become the first bowler in T20 cricket history to cross the milestone of 700 wickets. The Afghanistan captain achieved this historic feat by dismissing Mohammad Arshad in the T20 World Cup match against the UAE in Delhi on Monday.

Entering the match with a tally of 699 wickets, Rashid completed his 700th wicket in the 16th over of the innings by sending Arshad back to the pavilion via 'hit wicket'.

Having taken his 698th and 699th wickets against South Africa last week, Rashid had to wait a while for this record. In the match against the UAE, he failed to take any success in his opening 3.2 overs, conceding 17 runs off 20 balls. 

Ultimately, Arshad was out after his bat hit the stumps while attempting a reverse sweep. Given the pressure on Afghanistan to win to qualify for the Super Eights, Rashid did not celebrate this major achievement extensively.

• Far Ahead in the Wicket Race

Rashid is far ahead of other bowlers in the list of most wickets taken. Dwayne Bravo, who has retired, is in second place with 631 wickets, while among active cricketers, Sunil Narine is in third place with 613 wickets.

Rashid is also the leading wicket-taker in T20 Internationals. This 700th wicket is his 191st T20 International wicket for Afghanistan. He is followed by New Zealand's Tim Southee (164) and Ish Sodhi (162).

I Take Wickets When the Team Needs Me

The discussion about Rashid reaching 700 wickets had been ongoing since before the World Cup. Before the match against South Africa, he had said, 'Whether it's 700 wickets or any achievement, this sequence will continue. I have no goal of stopping after taking 700 wickets. When I play for the national team, I give 100% contribution and take wickets when the team needs them.'

Interesting Statistics and Records of Rashid Khan

• 432: The total number of batters Rashid has dismissed in T20 cricket is 432, which is a record. Bravo (391) and Imran Tahir (388) follow him.

• Favorite Prey: Rashid has dismissed Ryan Burl and Shimron Hetmyer the most times, 8 times each.

• 130: Out of his 432 victims, 130 are international players, which is a record.

• 22: Rashid has taken 4 or more wickets in a single innings 22 times, which is 4 more than any other bowler.

• 4: He also holds the record for taking the most 4 hat-tricks in T20s (in CPL, BBL, IPL, and T20I).

• 442: The number of wickets he has taken across various franchises and global leagues.

• 100+: In 3 countries: He and Imran Tahir are the only ones to have taken over 100 wickets in three different countries: India (181), UAE (131), and Australia (102).

• 96: In 2018, he took 96 wickets in a single year. This record was broken by Jason Holder (97 wickets) in 2025.

• 379: Rashid has taken 379 wickets (about 54%) via 'Bowled' or 'LBW'.

• 225: He also holds the record for the most 'Bowled' (225) and most 'LBW' (154).

• 145: As captain, he has taken 145 wickets, second only to Shakib Al Hasan (190).

• 4 Teams: Rashid has taken over 50 wickets for 4 different teams (Afghanistan- 195, Adelaide Strikers- 98, Sunrisers Hyderabad- 93, and Gujarat Titans- 65).