Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan is on the verge of smashing the record for being the fastest to take 100 ODI wickets. Rashid has 99 wickets after 43 ODIs, following his 3 for 40 against Ireland in Harare on Friday, and is closing in on Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who took his 100th wicket in his 52nd ODI.If Afghanistan beat Ireland in their ongoing World Cup Qualifier fixture, Rashid, who is only 19 years old, will have the opportunity to break the record in the tournament final against West Indies on Sunday.
Rashid's rise to the top of the charts is remarkable because he was only the joint eighth quickest to 50 ODI wickets, which he reached in his 26th match. So in his next 17 ODIs, he has taken 46 wickets to get to 99.
Rashid's average of 14.12 per wicket and strike rate of 21.4 balls per wicket are the best among all bowlers who have delivered at least 1000 balls in ODIs. Given the fact that Afghanistan do not play top-flight opposition frequently, Rashid has 40 wickets against Zimbabwe and 33 against Ireland; his career-best figures of 7 for 18 came against West Indies in St Lucia in June 2017.