New Delhi, Dec 12 Bahrain pacer Ali Dawood etched his name into the record books by picking 7-19, the second‑best figures in men’s T20I history, against Bhutan. The 33‑year‑old seamer became only the second bowler after Malaysia’s Syazrul Idrus to take seven wickets in a T20I.
His efforts dismantled Bhutan’s chase in Gelephu and sealed a 35‑run win for Bahrain in the third match of their five‑game series. Introduced in the third over, Dawood struck twice to leave the hosts tottering at 11/3, before returning late to rip through the lower order.
Dawood, who was born in Sialkot in Pakistan, claimed three wickets in the 16th over and two more in his next over to finish with 7-19. Despite having a 67‑run fourth‑wicket stand, Bhutan were bowled out for 125, handing Bahrain, who made 160/4, a 2‑1 lead in the five‑match series.
Dawood now sits behind seamer Idrus, who picked an incredible 7-8 against China during an ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia B Qualifier match at Bayuemas Oval in 2023. Incidentally, all of his seven wickets were bowled dismissals.
Singapore’s Harsha Bharadwaj (6-3 against Mongolia in 2024), Nigeria’s Peter Aho (6-5 against Sierra Leone in 2021) and India’s Deepak Chahar (6-7 against Bangladesh in 2019) complete the top five performances in men’s T20I format.
In terms of the full members of the ICC, seam-bowling all-rounder Chahar holds the record of best bowling figures in a men’s T20I, which came at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur.
For now, with this spell, Dawood has now 96 wickets from 64 T20Is at an average of 14.10. His economy rate is at a measly 5.96. The one against Bhutan was his maiden fifer in T20Is, in addition to the three four-wicket hauls Dawood has.
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