Afghanistan cricket superstar Rashid Khan has made history by becoming the first-ever bowler to take 200 wickets in men’s Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket.

The former Afghanistan captain achieved the remarkable milestone on Thursday during Afghanistan’s second T20I match against Zimbabwe in Sharjah, dismissing Tadiwanashe Marumani LBW for two runs in the ninth over.

According to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), Rashid reached the historic landmark in his 120th T20I appearance, recording an impressive bowling average of 13.96 and an economy rate of 6.13.

His outstanding T20I career also includes two five-wicket hauls, with best bowling figures of 5/3.

With 200 wickets to his name, Rashid now leads the all-time men’s T20I wicket-taking chart by 29 wickets ahead of England’s Adil Rashid, who sits in second place.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board celebrated the achievement, describing it as an incredible milestone in international cricket.

Rashid previously became the first Afghan bowler to reach 200 wickets in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) during a match against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi in October last year.

The latest achievement further cements Rashid Khan’s place among the most successful T20 bowlers in international cricket and marks another proud moment for Afghanistan.

Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe by 37 runs in the opening match of their three-match T20I series in Sharjah on Tuesday, thanks to a blistering half-century from Ijaz Ahmadzai and impressive all-round performances from Rashid Khan and Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Afghanistan were struggling at 66 for 5 in the 12th over before Ahmadzai turned the innings around with an explosive knock. He reached his half-century off just 20 balls, putting Zimbabwe’s bowlers under pressure with a series of powerful shots.

Ahmadzai combined with Shahidullah, who scored 46 off 42 balls, to rebuild the innings. The pair added 61 runs in just 4.5 overs, helping Afghanistan recover from their early setbacks.

Rashid Khan provided another late surge, smashing 30 runs off just 10 deliveries, including four sixes and a four. Afghanistan were eventually bowled out with one ball remaining in their innings but managed to post a competitive total of 177.

Newman Nyamhuri was Zimbabwe’s leading bowler, claiming four wickets for 31 runs.

In reply, Zimbabwe struggled against Afghanistan’s disciplined bowling attack and were bowled out for 140, handing Afghanistan a comfortable victory.

Rashid played a key role with the ball, taking two wickets for 20 runs, while Fazalhaq Farooqi also claimed three wickets to restrict Zimbabwe’s chase.

Afghanistan tightened their grip during the middle overs as Rashid and Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck crucial blows. Mujeeb finished with two wickets, while Zimbabwe continued to lose batters at regular intervals and failed to build the partnerships needed to challenge the target.

The victory marked Afghanistan’s sixth consecutive T20I win against Zimbabwe and improved their overall record in the format to 20 wins against two defeats.

The sides will meet again for their next T20I on Thursday.