In a nail-biting encounter at the Asia Cup, Afghanistan’s star spinner Rashid Khan etched his name in the history books, becoming the highest wicket-taker in the tournament’s T20 International format. His crucial two-wicket spell helped Afghanistan stage a strong comeback after a solid start by Bangladesh, although his team ultimately fell short in the chase.
During the pivotal Group B match at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Rashid delivered a brilliant performance, taking two wickets for just 26 runs in his four-over spell. He first broke a threatening opening partnership by dismissing Saif Hassan for 30 with a clever delivery that cleaned up the off-stump. Later, he returned to pick up the key wicket of Shamim Hossain in his final over.
This impressive spell, combined with a tight bowling performance from fellow spinner Noor Ahmad (2-23), was instrumental in restricting Bangladesh to a total of 154-5. The Tigers had looked set for a score of around 180 after being 87-1 in the 11th over, but the Afghan bowlers excelled in the latter half of the innings.
The two wickets were more than just a momentum-shifter for the match; they secured a new record for Rashid Khan. He has now surpassed India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar to top the charts for most wickets in the T20 Asia Cup. Coming into the match, Rashid had 12 wickets, just one shy of Kumar’s record of 13. With his two scalps, Rashid’s tally now stands at 14 wickets in 10 games, making him the all-time leading wicket-taker in the tournament’s T20 format.
Despite Rashid’s stellar individual performance with the ball and a fighting comeback with the bat, Afghanistan was unable to chase down the target and was defeated by a narrow margin of eight runs. The loss puts their Super Four qualification in jeopardy, but Rashid’s record remains a major highlight of their campaign.
