Dallas (USA):Sri Lanka captain Wanindu Hasaranga became the highest wicket-taker for Sri Lanka in T20 international cricket, surpassing former pacer Lasith Malinga's record. He achieved the incredible milestone during the clash between arch-rivals Sri Lanka and Bangladesh of Group D of the T20 World Cup 2024 at Grand Prairie Stadium here on Saturday.
Hasaranga claimed two wickets of set batters in the likes of wicketkeeper-batter Liton Das and rising sensation Towhid Hridoy respectively to improve his tally to 108 scalps. With the wicket of Hridoy, the right-arm leg-spinner surpassed Lasith Malinga's tally of 107 wickets for Sri Lanka.
The 26-year-old now has 108 wickets in only 65 innings across 67 T20I games. He has an average of only 15.49 and has been very economical with the ball, conceding runs at the rate of 6.85. It's worth noting that Hasaranga and Malinga are the only two bowlers who have taken 100+ wickets for their country on the international stage. However, he is currently in ninth place on the list of players with the most wickets in T20Is, with New Zealand's test captain Tim Southee leading the list with 157 wickets.
Sri Lankan captain, who plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in Indian Premier League (IPL), was the leading wicket-taker of the previous edition of the T20I World Cup. He had claimed 15 wickets eighth games at an average of 13.26 and economy of 6.41.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, the Sri Lankan captain said, "We started really well in the first 10 overs but in the middle overs we batted badly. Bowling is our strength. If we had got 150-160 we could have won with our bowling attack. The batters let us down in both games. We still have two games and we will try to do our best. Maheesh (Theekshana) and myself are the two main spinners and we have to attack."
Coming to the match, Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain claimed a match-winning 3/22 as Bangladesh secured a thrilling two-wicket victory over former champions Sri Lanka in their Group D T20 World Cup fixture here.
Opting to bowl, Bangladesh restricted Sri Lanka to a below-par 124 for 9 in 20 overs. Pacer Mustafizur Rahman complemented Rishad returning with a splendid 3/17, while Taskin Ahmed bagged 2/25.
For Sri Lanka, opener Pathum Nissanka was their top-scorer with 28-ball 47. It was the second successive loss and would make their Super Eight qualification tougher. Towhid Hridoy made a significant contribution in the chase, hitting four sixes and one four in his crucial 20-ball 40, while Mahmudullah steered the chase in his 13-ball-16 not out. Bangladesh won with an over to spare.
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