Haris Rauf has surpassed Shadab Khan to become Pakistan‘s leading wicket-taker in T20Is. The 31-year-old pacer achieved this milestone on Sunday, December 1, during the first T20I against Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo.
Rauf claimed Ryan Burl’s wicket on the third ball of the 11th over, taking his tally to 108 and breaking Shadab’s record of 107. He finished the match with two wickets, bringing his total to 109 in 76 matches, while Shadab has 107 wickets from 104 games.
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Shaheen Shah Afridi holds third place with 97 wickets from 73 matches, while former all-rounder Shahid Afridi is fourth with 97 wickets from 98 games. Former pacer Umar Gul rounds out the top five with 85 wickets in 60 matches.
It is worth mentioning that Haris Rauf tied with Shadab Khan as Pakistan’s joint-leading wicket-taker in T20Is during the series against Australia last month. The pacer claimed a four-wicket haul, bringing his T20I wicket count level with Shadab Khan’s.
While Shadab Khan has not been included in recent national squads, Haris Rauf has become a regular member of Pakistan’s white-ball teams.
Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe by 57 runs in the first T20I
Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first. Openers Omair Yousuf (16) and Saim Ayub (24) made solid starts but couldn’t convert them into significant scores. Usman Khan contributed a useful 39 off 30 balls, while captain Salman Agha had a poor performance, scoring just 13 off 19 balls.
Tayyab Tahir and Irfan Khan combined for an unbroken 65-run partnership for the fifth wicket off 34 balls. Tahir ended on 39* from 25 balls, while Khan remained not out on 27 from 15 balls. Pakistan finished their innings at 165/4 after 20 overs.
In response, Zimbabwe lost early wickets with Brian Bennett (6) and Dion Myers (6) both dismissed cheaply. Tadiwanashe Marumani (33) and captain Sikandar Raza (39) revived the innings, adding 59 runs for the third wicket.
However, after Marumani was out, Zimbabwe collapsed, going from 77/3 to 108 all out, losing by 57 runs. Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem each took three wickets, while Haris Rauf claimed two.
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