Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan breaks Mitchell Starc’s record, becomes fastest to 100 ODI wickets

Rashid Khan, Afghanistan leg-spinner, on Sunday became the quickest to notch 100 ODI wickets after he dismissed West Indies batsman Shai Hope in the final of the ICC World Cup Qualifier 2018 in Harare. (WI vs AFG SCORES)

Khan had 99 wickets under his belt before the match and required just one to smash the record held by Australian Mitchell Starc, who took 52 matches to get to the triple-figure mark. Rashid Khan, however, has achieved the feat in just 44 games. However, what’s incredible is that he was the eighth joint-quickest wicket-taker when he had notched 50 wickets and has thereafter accelerated to claim the next 50 in just 18 matches.

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He averages 14.12 and has a strike rate of around 21.4 in ODIs but it’s the economy rate of 3.94 that perhaps creates the most significant difference. Since Afghanistan are still a small team and do not get to play bigger oppositions that often, one-third of Rashid Khan’s wickets have come against Ireland while his happy hunting side are Zimbabweans against whom he has taken 40 wickets so far.

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It was in Zimbabwe back in 2015 that Khan had earned his ODI debut and has taken around two-and-a-half years to get to these hundred wickets. His best showing in an ODI is against West Indies, when he returned figures of 7/18 in a game. Khan’s T20 numbers are quite good as well with the 19-year-old having picked up 47 wickets in 29 games at an average of 13.72 and a strike rate of 14.

He has enjoyed a stellar run in the ongoing tournament so far en route helping his side qualify for next year’s World Cup in England. In seven matches, he has 14 wickets and is just one shy of West Indies skipper Jason Holder and Scotland’s Safyaan Sharif, who lead the tally with 15 wickets each.