Ish Sodhi steers clear of Malinga, becomes fourth-highest T20I wicket-taker
Ish Sodhi delivered an impressive spell against Ireland during New Zealand's final Super 12 assignment in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022. He recorded figures worth 2/31 in his four overs. The leg-spinner has now become the fourth-highest wicket-taker in T20Is with 109 scalps under his belt. He went past Lasith Malinga's tally of 107 wickets. Here we look at Sodhi's stats.
Why does this story matter?
Sodhi bowled brilliantly on a batting-friendly track at the Adelaide Oval. The leggie first dismissed Paul Stirling for 37 before getting rid of Lorcan Tucker (13). As a result, NZ recorded a 35-run win while defending 185. Kane Williamson's men have now realistically secured a semi-final berth. Besides Sodhi, Tim Southee and Mitchell Santner also scalped two wickets apiece. Lockie Ferguson recorded a three-fer.
How has Sodhi fared in T20Is?
Sodhi, who made his T20I debut back in 2014, is NZ's joint-fourth-most capped player in the format, having played 85 games. Sodhi has a career economy rate of 8.05 and an average of 21.96. While the 30-year-old has three four-fers in T20Is, his best figures (4/28) were recorded against Australia last year. In T20 WC, Sodhi has 25 wickets in 16 games (ER: 7.08).
Leading wicket-takers in T20Is
With 129 wickets, Sodhi's NZ team-mate Tim Southee is the highest wicket-taker in T20Is. Shakib Al Hasan (127) and Rashid Khan (121) follow him on the list. While Sodhi holds the fourth position, Malinga is the only other bowler to take over 100 T20I wickets.
How did the match pan out?
New Zealand posted 185/6 in their allotted 20 overs while batting first. While skipper Kane Williamson scored 61, Joshua Little recorded a memorable hat-trick. In reply, the Irish side got off to a brilliant start but lost momentum in the middle overs. As a result, they were restricted to 150/9 in their 20 overs. NZ's entry in the semis is all but certain now.
