Hasaranga Joins The Elite Group After Malinga With 100 Wickets In T20

As the first Sri Lankan spinner to collect 100 T20I wickets, renowned spinner Wanindu Hasaranga achieved a significant career milestone by joining the select list.

After Lasith Malinga, Hasaranga is the second bowler from Sri Lanka to reach 100 wickets in Twenty20 Internationals. He is now the twelfth men’s player overall.

The accomplishment was achieved during the second T20I match against Afghanistan at Dambulla by the leg-spinner, who is presently the captain of the T20I side.

Since his T20I debut in 2019, Hasaranga has claimed more wickets than any other bowler in men’s T20Is.

The only other bowler from Sri Lanka with more than 100 T20I wickets was Malinga. Malinga became the first player to get 100 T20I wickets in his 76th match, while Hasaranga achieved the feat in his 63rd. Rashid Khan was the first player to earn 100 wickets in 53 matches in 2021.

Hasaranga now has 101 wickets in 63 T20Is at an average of 15.36 and a strike rate of 6.78. He finished with 2/19 in four overs in Dambulla on Monday.

After defeating Afghanistan in the second Twenty20 International, Sri Lanka led the three-match series 2-0.

Wanindu Hasaranga becomes the second quickest to 100 T20I wickets 🙌

More 👉 https://t.co/mWrsvO7FwU pic.twitter.com/YNKH0ZtSgs

— ICC (@ICC) February 20, 2024

After the game, Hasaranga stated that he believes his bowling lineup can hold off any total more than 170 and that his strategy is working well in the shorter version of international cricket.

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“The hitters deserve the credit. They did a great job at batting. The openers performed well. Mathews and Sadeera had strong finishes. I support our bowling lineup to defend it above 170. There is still plenty to be done (on 100 T20I wickets). I have faith in my modifications. We also wish to test our bench. The World Cup is just four games away. Therefore, we must test our bench,” Hasaranga stated following the game.

With his performance leading up to the Indian Premier League, Hasaranga would be fired up. SunRisers Hyderabad purchased the spinner for a mere Rs 1.5 crore, which many deemed to be the finest auction deal. The all-round player had an injury before this series. Hasaranga was forced to miss the World Cup after tearing his hamstring while competing in the Lanka Premier League in 2023. The spinner has performed admirably in the International League T20 since his comeback, and he has also performed admirably in the home series against Afghanistan.