Shamar Joseph Claims Five-Wicket Haul and Record

West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph produced a remarkable bowling performance to claim his maiden five-wicket haul in international Twenty20 cricket, setting a joint world record for the most wickets taken in a three-match bilateral T20 International (T20I) series.

Entering his final over against Sri Lanka, Joseph had statistical figures of two wickets for the concession of relatively few runs across his opening three overs. However, the operational dynamics of the match shifted decisively during his fourth over, where he dismissed three batsmen within a single six-ball sequence. This late flurry ensured he completed his spell with figures of 5 for 33, marking the first time in his professional Twenty20 career that he has taken five wickets in an innings.

Equalising Rashid Khan’s Historic Milestone

Joseph’s final-match performance concluded an exceptionally consistent individual campaign against Sri Lanka. The fast bowler claimed three wickets in each of the opening two fixtures of the bilateral encounter before accumulating his five-wicket haul during the third match.

By taking a cumulative total of 11 wickets across the three fixtures, Joseph equalled the long-standing global record established by Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan. Rashid had held the record exclusively since 2019, when he dismantled Ireland during a three-match series in Dehradun by claiming two wickets in the first match, four in the second, and five in the series finale.

Prior to Joseph’s performance, the second position on this specific global leaderboard was shared jointly by three bowlers who had each collected 10 wickets in a three-match bilateral series: Hasan Mehmoud of Sweden, Mark Adair of Ireland, and Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh. Joseph’s 11-wicket haul successfully moves him past Mustafizur and his contemporaries.

Records in Extended T20I Series

While Joseph and Rashid co-hold the benchmark for three-match series, the historical records for longer-format T20I series remain significantly higher. The absolute record for the most wickets taken in any bilateral T20I series stands at 15, a milestone shared jointly by three international cricketers:

• Jason Holder (West Indies): Secured 15 wickets across a five-match series against England in 2021.

• Ali Dawood (Bahrain): Equalled the benchmark by claiming 15 wickets in a five-match series against Bhutan.

• Shreyas Swaminathan (Sweden): Matched the 15-wicket tally during an extended seven-match bilateral series against Indonesia.

Leading T20I Wicket Takers in Three-Match Series