Adil Rashid becomes first man to a century of England T20I wickets

The legspinner brings up the milestone in his 100th T20I in Bridgetown against West Indies, dismissing Shimron Hetmyer thanks to a catch at deep midwicket by Ben Duckett

Nick Howson | 13/12/2023 at 01:18

Adil Rashid has become the first England man to bring up 100 T20 international wickets.

The 35-year-old dismissed Shimron Hetmyer, who was caught on the midwicket boundary by Ben Duckett to bring up the milestone in the first T20I against West Indies in Bridgetown.

He becomes the 10th man to reach the landmark, while 11 women have brought up three figures.

Among them is the now-retired Katherine Sciver-Brunt, who claimed 114 during her esteemed career, while Sophie Ecclestone sits on 109 having reached the watermark during last summer's Ashes series.

Anya Shrubsole, who also called time on her career at the end of last summer, finished on 102 T20I scalps.

Rashid's achievement was enhanced by completing the feat during his 100th T20I for England.

flintoffarashid121201-min

_{Andrew Flintoff awarded Rashid his 100th T20I cap before play in Barbados (Ashley Allen/Getty Images)}

Andrew Flintoff, back with the men's team after stints during the summer and more recently in the UAE with the Lions, presented him with his cap before play at Kensington Oval.

A critical part of England's white-ball dominance over the last eight years, the Bradford-born spinner made his debut in the infamous World T20 defeat to Netherlands at Lord's but things have improved substantially since then.

Helped by the curtailment of his Test career, partly due to a shoulder injury and only possessing a white-ball contract with Yorkshire, Rashid's focus has exclusively been on the limited-overs game across the past four years.

Part of the ODI World Cup-winning group in 2019, he picked up a second world title at the T20 showcase in Australia in 2022.

He stands on the brink of another landmark in the 50-over game having reached 199 wickets during the final Cricket World Cup match against Pakistan in Pune, but will have to wait until next September's five-match series against Australia to add to his tally.