Rashid Khan in elite company with ODI six-fer versus Ireland
What's the story
Team Afghanistan has taken a 1-0 lead in the five-match ODI series against Ireland after winning the rain-curtailed second match by 92 runs at the Bready Cricket Club. Chasing 300 in their allotted 47 overs, Ireland were dented by Rashid Khan. The talismanic leg-spinner claimed six wickets as the hosts were folded for just 207. Rashid scripted a ton of records with this stellar spell. Here we look at them.
Game changer
Rashid turns the tide for Afghanistan
Ireland started their chase confidently, reaching 65 for 1.
However, Afghanistan's spinners turned the game around with Rashid striking twice in quick succession to remove Andy Balbirnie and Harry Tector.
Cade Carmichael and Lorcan Tucker tried to rebuild, but their stand ended when Tucker was run out.
Carmichael followed in the next over for 62, leaving Ireland at 152/5.
The final four wickets fell for just nine runs as Rashid claimed three of them.
Stats
Rashid joins Waqar Younis on this list
Rashid bowled 7.4 overs and picked 6/34. This was the third instance of him claiming at least six wickets in an ODI, as per Cricinfo.
Only Pakistan's Waqar Younis has more such hauls (5). No other bowler has reached the milestone more than twice.
Rashid had previously claimed 6/43 versus Ireland and 7/18 versus West Indies (both in 2017).
Younis also happens to be the only other bowler with multiple ODI six-fers against one opponent.
He bowled two such spells against New Zealand.
Company
Only behind Muralitharan & Afridi
Overall, Rashid claimed his 7th five-wicket haul in ODIs.
Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (10) and Pakistan's Shahid Afridi (8) are the only spinners with more ODI fifers than Rashid.
The Afghan leggie broke the tie with Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq, who retired with six such hauls.
Meanwhile, no other spinner has even managed five such spells.
Career
Best bowling average in ODIs
Overall, Rashid has raced to 220 wickets from 121 ODIs (113 innings).
His average of 19.54 is the best among bowlers with at least 150 scalps in the format.
He has also clocked six four-fers besides seven five-wicket hauls.
Against Ireland, Rashid has amassed 61 scalps from 27 ODIs at 15.95.
This is the fourth-best average for a bowler with at least 50 scalps against a particular side.