New Zealand leg bowler Ish Sodhi has broken a national record previously held by his former teammate and legendary bowler Tim Southee. Sodhi, who was born in Ludhiana, achieved the milestone while playing for New Zealand against Bangladesh in the ongoing T20I series.
New Zealand beat Bangladesh in the third T20I
The third and decisive T20I of the series was played at Mirpur on May 2. With the first match won by the hosts and the second abandoned, New Zealand needed to win this match to avoid losing the series.
The Kiwis made good use of the conditions to bowl out Bangladesh for just 104. Ben Sears and Nathan Smith took two wickets each, while Josh Clarkson took 3. Jayden Lennox and Ish Sodhi also took one wicket each.
New Zealand got off to a decent start in terms of their run rate but Shoriful Islam scored three times in the powerplay to leave the visitors stuttering at 25/3. Bevon Jacobs then took charge with an unbeaten 62 off just 31 balls to ensure New Zealand won the match and the series was split 1-1.
Ish Sodhi becomes New Zealand’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is
In the T20I series against Bangladesh, Sodhi took 3 wickets in 2 matches. When he dismissed Shamim Hossain on Saturday, Sodhi broke the record for most wickets by a New Zealander in T20Is.
Sodhi has been playing this format since 2014 and has 165 wickets in 142 matches. Tim Southee, who took 164 wickets in T20Is, is now in second place. Mitchell Santner, with 142, is the only other New Zealander to take 100 T20I wickets.
Most wickets for New Zealand in T20Is
| Player | Matches | windows | Economy. | 4+ w casts |
| ish sodhi | 142 | 165 | 8.16 | 4 |
| Tim Southee | 126 | 164 | 8 | 4 |
| Mitchell Santner | 138 | 142 | 7.17 | 3 |
| Trent Boult | 61 | 83 | 7.68 | 2 |
| Lockie Ferguson | 54 | 76 | 7.33 | 3 |
Ish Sodhi is also the second highest wicket-taker in T20Is
As well as becoming New Zealand’s all-time highest wicket-taker in the shortest format, Sodhi has also become the second highest all-time wicket-taker for any country.
Only Rashid Khan with 193 T20I wickets has more wickets than the Kiwi in this format. Sodhi would like to overtake the Afghan spinner in the shortest format of the game and be in the top position.
Most wickets in T20Is
| Player | Matches | windows | Economy. | 4+ w casts |
| Rashid Khan | 115 | 193 | 6.04 | 11 |
| ish sodhi | 142 | 165 | 8.16 | 4 |
| Tim Southee | 126 | 164 | 8 | 4 |
| Adil Rashid | 145 | 163 | 7.48 | 4 |
| Mustafizur Rahman | 126 | 158 | 7.28 | 5 |
New Zealand and Ish Sodhi next match
New Zealand’s next task after the tour of Bangladesh will be a Test match in Ireland, followed by three away Tests against England in May-June. New Zealand will then embark on a limited-overs tour of the West Indies comprising 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is each.
As of now, Sodhi is not a first-choice player in either Tests or ODIs, so he may not feature in these matches and may have to wait until the end of July to feature in the T20I series against the West Indies. Apart from 165 T20I wickets, Sodhi also took 64 wickets in 54 ODIs and 58 wickets in 21 Test matches.
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