New Delhi:
Rashid Khan has been one of the biggest stars to emerge out of Afghanistan ever since the country made their mark. The legspinner has shattered records with the ball and has highlighted several major Twenty20 tournaments in the world, notably the Indian Premier League, Caribbean Premier League and the Big Bash League in Australia. The 20-year-old is acknowledged as the best bowler in the shortest format of the game and along with his accuracy, Rashid has made a massive name for himself and boosted the presence of the Afghanistan national cricket team. However, the youngster is on the cusp of achieving a unique record in the history of the Twenty20 format during his current stint with the Adelaide Strikers in Australia.
In the game against Brisbane Heat, Rashid finished with figures of 3/19 in his four overs as his side registered a comfortable win against the Heat at the Gabba. However, during his haul, he became the first bowler to go past 90 wickets in a calendar year in Twenty20 Internationals. However, Rashid has a chance to become the first bowler in the history of the format to reach 100 wickets. The Afghan legspinner needs just eight wickets to reach the landmark and Rashid will be hoping to achieve this feat in the next three games, which will be against Melbourne Renegades on December 23, Perth Scorchers on December 26 and Sydney Thunder on December 31.
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Before Rashid, the bowler with the maximum wickets in a calendar year in Twenty20 Internationals was West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who took 87 wickets in 72 games during the 2016 season. In 2018, Rashid has played for clubs like Adelaide Strikers, Afghanistan, Durban Heat, ICC World XI, Kabul Zwanan, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sussex.
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Rashid is the first Afghanistan bowler to play in the IPL and the Big Bash League. This is not the first time that Rashid has topped the wickets column in a calendar year. In 2017, he picked up 80 wickets in 56 games at an incredible average of 14.53. In that year, Rashid picked up a record haul of 5/3 in just two overs against Ireland in Greater Noida.
