Young spinner from Bhutan creates history by grabbing eight wickets for 7 runs in T20

GELEPHU MINDFULNESS CITY, Bhutan (AP) — A 22-year-old spinner from Bhutan has become the first bowler to take eight wickets in an international T20 cricket match.

Left-arm spinner Sonam Yeshey achieved the feat on Friday when he picked up 8-7 from his four overs against Myanmar in a T20 game in Bhutan. Myanmar was bowled out for 45 in reply to Bhutan’s 127-9 to lose the game by 82 runs.

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.

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.

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.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket