Rashid Khan claimed his 700th T20 wicket in unusual circumstances as Afghanistan kept their faint World Cup hopes alive with a five-wicket win over the United Arab Emirates.

The leg-spinner reached the milestone in a way that had never happened in his previous 699 wickets – hit wicket. UAE batter Muhammad Arfan tried to reverse sweep a delivery from the Afghanistan captain in the 15th over but accidentally hit the stumps with his bat.

This was Rashid’s 191st wicket in T20 internationals. When combined with his 509 wickets in domestic T20 List A matches, he became the first player in history to reach 700 T20 wickets.

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Rashid Khan Leads Afghanistan to Victory Over UAE

It was the only time in 11,794 balls bowled in T20 cricket that 27-year-old Rashid Khan took a wicket in this way. Rashid finished with 1-24 from his four overs, while Azmatullah Omarzai was the best bowler for Afghanistan with 4-15 as UAE were restricted to 160-9 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Sohaib Khan scored 68 off 48 balls with six fours and four sixes, and Alishan Sharafu added 40 off 31 balls. Afghanistan lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck, but Ibrahim Zadran’s 53 off 21 balls helped in the chase.

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Omarzai Stars With Both Bat and Ball

Muhammad Arfan took 2-30 for UAE to slow Afghanistan, but Omarzai was the key player. He followed his bowling with an unbeaten 40 off 21 balls, helping Afghanistan reach the target with four balls to spare.

The win gave Afghanistan their first points in Group D. They must beat New Zealand in the final game and improve their net run rate to finish above New Zealand and UAE. UAE also have two points and must win their last match against South Africa and improve their net run rate to stay ahead.