Rashid Khan slipped quietly into another bit of history on Monday evening in Delhi, when he knocked over Muhammad Arfan – hit-wicket, of all modes – to become the first bowler to 700 wickets in the short-form game. It came in the 16th over of the UAE chase, Rashid’s last of the spell, and the Afghanistan captain barely raised an eyebrow; the job at hand – Afghanistan needed a hefty win to keep Super Eights hopes flickering – felt more pressing.
The numbers, though, are hard to ignore. Rashid started the night on 699, having stalled against South Africa last week, and finishes it still a long way clear of the pack. Retired West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo is second on 631, while Sunil Narine (613) is the closest active player.
In T20 internationals alone Rashid now has 191 wickets. Tim Southee (164) and Ish Sodhi (162), the New Zealand pair, track him from a respectful distance.
“700 wickets, whatever the achievement is, it will continue. I have not kept any target in my mind that I will take 700 wickets and stop – no, when I play for the national team at the World Cup, then I make 100% effort. And when the team requires it, I take the wicket,” he said last week ahead of the South Africa match. The sentiment holds.
That sense of relentlessness has been tested recently. Back surgery in late 2023 meant a brief dip in pace and fizz, yet the figures suggest he is edging back. Against West Indies in January he leaked only 51 runs in 12 overs across three high-scoring games. Against New Zealand in Afghanistan’s tournament opener, 1 for 36 made him their second most economical bowler after Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Former Afghanistan coach Andy Moles, speaking on the ICC’s digital feed, noted: “He is still working his way to full throttle but the control remains the same. The googly is maybe half a yard slower, the mind absolutely isn’t.”
Monday’s dismissal was anything but a classic – Arfan shuffled across, missed the attempted reverse sweep and trod on his stumps – yet it felt apt. Rashid’s career has thrived on forcing batsmen into awkward options, then letting the pressure do the rest.
Rashid turned 27 only in September. Simple maths says records may keep tumbling. Whether anyone hunts down 700 any time soon is another matter; the gap to Bravo alone equals several domestic seasons’ worth of scalps.
Afghanistan’s campaign now depends on other results, but their captain has fresh silverware of sorts. No presentation, no fuss – a small nod to the dug-out and back to setting fields. Typically Rashid.
