Rashid Khan Creates History in Afghanistan’s Win Over UAE

Rashid Khan once again proved that he is the heart of Afghanistan cricket. The leg-spinner, who has already secured a 38-run victory over the United Arab Emirates on a warm Sharjah evening, now goes into the record books as the highest wicket-taker in men's T20 Internationals.

Rashid’s spell of 3 for 11 from four overs ripped through the UAE middle order. Every delivery carried intent, and with his third scalp he overtook New Zealand’s Tim Southee to climb to 165 wickets in the format. Southee sits on 164, but the Afghan magician has now set a fresh benchmark that may stand for some time.

The turning point came after opener Muhammad Waseem hammered a quick 67 to keep the chase alive. After Sharafuddin Ashraf claimed a wicket, Rashid struck twice in the same over, dismissing Asif Khan off the first ball, followed by Ethan D'Souza. He took his second wicket shortly after when Dhruv Parashar nicked the ball to the fielder, creating chaos within the Afghan camp and amongst the fans.

Afghanistan had begun well with Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal scoring 84 runs in the first wicket. Karim Janat and Azmatullah Omarzai then scored 49 runs in three overs to take the team total to 188.

From there, Rashid made sure the scoreboard stayed under pressure. His craft and control left the UAE with no way back, and Afghanistan collected their first win of the tri-series after losing to Pakistan in the opener.

For followers of the game, the bigger question now is how much further Rashid can stretch this record. At just 25, the road ahead promises even more historic nights.