Harare [Zimbabwe], July 14 (ANI): Zimbabwe left-arm seamer Richard Ngarava became the top wicket taker for his national team in the T20 internationals during the first match of the tri-series at the Harare Sports Club on Monday.
Ngarava snapped three wickets in his spell of four overs where he conceded 35 runs at an economy 8.8. He picked the wickets of Lhuan-de Pretorius (0), Reeza Hendricks (11), and Rubin Hermann (45).
With these three wickets, Ngarava surpassed all-rounder Sikandar Raza to beame the player with the most wickets for Zimbabwe in the shortest format of the game. The fast bowler now has 83 T20I wickets so far in his career whereas Raza has 81.
Known for his pace and crafty bowling, South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi also levelled legendary tearaway Dale Steyn’s record for most wickets for Proteas in T20Is after an economical spell against Zimbabwe in the Tri-Series opener on Monday.
Fortune stood by Ngidi’s side for his record-levelling scalp. In the first innings, Wessly Madheve went deep into his crease while trying to work out the angle for his shot. Unfortunately for Madheve, his back foot touched the stumps and ignited the bails, forcing him to return on 1(9).
He hardly leaked runs and finished with figures of 1/15 in his four-over spell. Ngidi’s tally for the Proteas in T20Is soared to 64 scalps. He became the joint third-highest alongside Steyn in the charts, with the duo boasting 64 wickets each. While Steyn achieved the feat in 47 matches, Ngidi (44) took three fewer to arrive at the milestone.
Left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi sits at the top of the summit with 89 wickets from 70 matches. South Africa’s mainstay Kagiso Rabada follows with a tally of 71 in 65 games. (ANI)
