Rashid Khan Becomes Leading T20I Wicket-Taker Amid Afghanistan’s Emotional Win In UAE Tri-Series 2025

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan has become the highest wicket-taker in men's T20 internationals. He achieved the milestone on Monday (September 1, 2025), during match 3 of the ongoing UAE Tri-Series in Sharjah.

The 26-year-old achieved the milestone with a three-wicket haul against the UAE, surpassing New Zealand’s Tim Southee, who held the previous record with 164 wickets from 126 games.

The celebrated leg-spinner has now claimed 165 wickets across 98 matches, topping a distinguished list that includes fellow Kiwi Ish Sodhi (150 in 126 games) and the Bangladeshi duo of Shakib Al Hasan (149 in 129) and Mustafizur Rahman (142 in 113), all part of the elite top five.

No Indian bowler features in the top 10, with Arshdeep Singh being the highest-ranked among his countrymen. The left-arm pacer has taken 99 wickets in 63 appearances.

For Rashid Khan, this milestone comes in the shadow of personal grief, following the recent passing of his brother, Haji Abdul Halim Shinwari. Teammates such as Ibrahim Zadran and Asghar Afghan have expressed their condolences.

Afghanistan Vs UAE Highlights

The UAE captain Muhammad Waseem won the toss and asked Afghanistan to set a target. Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran hit fifties to help Afghans post 188/4.

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Then the Afghan spinners strangled UAE, even though Waseem (67 off 37) and Rahul Chopra (52 off 35) hit blistering half-centuries. They were eventually restricted to 150/8.

For Afghanistan, Rashid Khan (3/21) and Sharafuddin Ashraf (3/24) claimed three wickets each to set up a 38-run win and revive their hopes in the tri-series.

Afghanistan had earlier lost to Pakistan by 39 runs in the series opener. They will face Pakistan again on September 4 in Sharjah, with the final scheduled for September 7. The tri-series serves as a warm-up for the Asia Cup, which begins on September 9 in the UAE.

Afghanistan Earthquake

Both cricket teams donned black armbands and observed a minute of silence before the match, honouring the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, August 31, 2025.

The tremor, measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale, hit at 11:47 PM local time, with its epicenter located near Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, close to the Pakistan border. The death toll has surpassed 800, with more than 2,500 injured, many of them women and children.