Haris Rauf surpasses Shadab Khan to become Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in T20Is
Pacer Haris Rauf has eclipsed spinner Shadab Khan to become Pakistan's all-time leading wicket-taker in T20Is. The 31-year-old reached this achievement on Sunday, December 1, during the first match of the three-game T20I series against Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
On the third ball of the 11th over in Zimbabwe's innings, Rauf dismissed Ryan Burl, bringing his total to 108 wickets and surpassing Shadab Khan's record of 107. The pacer finished the game with two wickets and now holds the record with 109 wickets in 76 matches, while Shadab has taken 107 wickets in 104 games.
Shaheen Shah Afridi is in third place with 97 wickets from 73 matches, while former all-rounder Shahid Afridi follows closely in fourth with 97 wickets from 98 games. Former pacer Umar Gul completes the top five with 85 wickets in 60 matches.
Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 57 runs in the 1st T20I
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first. Openers Omair Yousuf (16) and Saim Ayub (24) got off to decent starts but failed to convert them into big scores. Usman Khan played a valuable knock, making 39 off 30 balls, while skipper Salman Agha had a disappointing outing, scoring just 13 off 19 balls.
Tayyab Tahir and Irfan Khan then put together an unbeaten 65-run partnership for the fifth wicket off 34 balls. Tahir finished on 39* from 25 balls, while Khan remained unbeaten on 27 off 15 balls. Pakistan ended their innings at 165/4 in the allotted 20 overs.
In reply, Zimbabwe lost early wickets with Brian Bennett (6) and Dion Myers (6) dismissed cheaply. Tadiwanashe Marumani (33) and captain Sikandar Raza (39) fought back, adding 59 runs for the third wicket.
However, once Marumani was dismissed, Zimbabwe crumbled and went from 77/3 to 108 all out, losing the match by 57 runs. Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem took three wickets each, while Haris Rauf claimed two.