UAE captain Muhammad Waseem breaks Rohit Sharma's T20I record: Stats
What's the story
United Arab Emirates (UAE) captain Muhammad Waseem has broken India's Rohit Sharma's record for most sixes as a captain in T20Is. The feat was achieved during the tri-nation match against Afghanistan in Sharjah, where Waseem scored an explosive 67 runs off just 37 balls. Waseem was the lone warrior in UAE's run-chase of 189. However, his efforts went in vain as UAE fell short.
Milestone achievement
Waseem surpasses Rohit in style
Waseem's explosive innings against Afghanistan included six massive sixes and four boundaries. As per ESPNcricinfo, he broke Rohit's record of 105 sixes as a captain in T20Is by hitting two consecutive sixes off Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman in the third over. Having played 54 T20Is as captain, Waseem has raced to 110 sixes. His tally also includes 1,857 runs at 37.14 (50s: 16, 100: 1). Meanwhile, no other batter owns even 90 T20I sixes as captain.
All-time ranking
Second-most sixes in T20Is
Waseem's explosive batting also propelled him up the all-time six-hitters list in T20Is. He now sits second with 174 sixes, just behind Rohit Sharma who has a staggering 205. Waseem surpassed New Zealand's Martin Guptill (173 sixes) on this list with his performance against Afghanistan. As of now, England's Jos Buttler is the only other player with 150-plus T20I sixes (160).
Career
Waseem slams his 23rd T20I fifty
As mentioned, Waseem slammed a blistering 67 off 37 balls, a knock laced with six sixes and four boundaries. In 80 T20Is, the UAE skipper has raced to 2,859 runs at a strike rate of 156.31 (Average: 38.12). His tally includes three tons and 23 half-centuries. No other UAE batter has even 1,300 T20I runs.
Match outcome
Ibrahim, Zadran shine as Afghanistan beat UAE
Despite Waseem's heroics, the UAE failed to chase down Afghanistan's strong total of 188/4. They were restricted to 150/8, losing the match by 38 runs. Afghanistan's Ibrahim Zadran (63 off 40) and Sediqullah Atal (54 off 30) put up a stellar batting display to secure the win for their team. Rashid Khan later claimed three wickets for Afghanistan.