Bhutan spinner creates history with 8 wickets in a T20 international

Dubai: Records are meant to be broken, but the one that Bhutan’s 22-year-old left-arm spinner Sonam Yeshey created recently in an international T20 cricket match is unlikely to be bettered at least in the foreseeable future.

In an international T20 match on Friday, Yeshey became the first bowler in the history of the shortest white-ball format to take eight wickets. Imagine that! Eight wickets in 4 overs and by giving away just 7 runs.

The left-arm spinner achieved the feat against Myanmar in a T20 game in Bhutan. Myanmar were bowled out for 45 in reply to Bhutan's 127-9 to lose the game by 82 runs.

Yeshey made his T20 international debut in 2022 against Malaysia when he took 3-16 in his first match. Since then, he has taken 37 wickets in 34 matches.

Malaysian bowler Syazrul Idrus and Ali Dawood of Bahrain held the previous record of most wickets in a T20 international. Syazrul took 7-8 against China in 2023 and Dawood picked up 7-19 against Bhutan this year.

In domestic T20 cricket, only two bowlers have picked up seven wickets in an innings. Colin Ackermann took 7-18 for Leicestershire against Birmingham Bears in 2019 and Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed grabbed 7-19 for Durbar Rajshahi against Dhaka Capitals in 2025.

Rohmalia of Indonesia holds the record of best bowling figures in a women's T20 international when she took seven wickets without conceding a run against Mongolia in 2024.

Frederique Overdijk of Netherlands (7-3 against France), Argentina's Alison Stocks (7-3 against Peru) and Samanthi Dunukedeniya (7-19 against Czech Republic) of Cyprus have also taken seven wickets in a women's T20 international.