Who Is Sonam Yeshey? Bhutan Spinner Becomes First Bowler To Get Eight-Wicket Haul In T20I

Bhutan left-arm spinner Sonam Yeshey etched his name into cricket history on December 26 by becoming the first bowler ever to claim eight wickets in a men’s T20I. The landmark achievement came during the third T20I against Myanmar at Gelephu Mindfulness City, Bhutan, on Friday.

The 22-year-old produced a spell that will be remembered for generations, returning astonishing figures of 8/7 from four overs. His performance dismantled Myanmar for just 45 runs, as they attempted to chase Bhutan’s total of 127/9.

Bhutan Cricket celebrated the historic moment on social media, posting on social media, “A spell for the ages! Sonam Yeshey’s unbelievable 8/7 in four overs goes down as a world record.”

A T20 World Record

Yeshey’s spell is unprecedented in the format. No bowler in any men’s T20 match – international or domestic – had ever taken eight wickets before this performance.

The previous benchmark in T20Is belonged to Malaysia pacer Syazrul Idrus, who registered 7/8 against China in 2023. The only other seven-wicket haul in men’s T20Is came from Bahrain’s Ali Dawood, who claimed 7/19 against Bhutan earlier this year.

In overall T20 cricket, just two other players have taken seven wickets in a match:

• Colin Ackermann (7/18) for Leicestershire against Birmingham Bears in 2019

• Taskin Ahmed (7/19) for Durbar Rajshahi against Dhaka Capitals in 2025

Yeshey’s effort now stands alone at the top.

Sonam Yeshey Career So Far

Sonam Yeshey made his T20I debut in July 2022 against Malaysia, announcing himself immediately with three wickets for 16 runs. Since then, he has grown into Bhutan’s premier strike bowler.

Following his record-breaking performance, Yeshey now has 38 wickets from 35 T20I matches. In the five-match series against Myanmar, he has taken 13 wickets.

(With PTI Inputs)