Bhutan left-arm spinner Sonam Yeshey etched his name into the record books on December 26 by becoming the first bowler to claim eight wickets in a men’s T20 International, producing a spell unprecedented in the format’s history.
The 22-year-old achieved the landmark during the third T20I against Myanmar at Gelephu Mindfulness City in Bhutan.
Yeshey returned astonishing figures of 8 for 7 from his four overs, dismantling Myanmar for just 45 while defending Bhutan’s modest total of 127 for 9, according to ESPNCricinfo.
Bhutan Cricket hailed the performance as historic, calling it “a spell for the ages” in a post on X, and confirmed it as a world record in T20 cricket.
No bowler had previously taken eight wickets in any T20 match, whether at the international or domestic level.
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The earlier benchmark in men’s T20 Internationals was held by Malaysia pacer Syazrul Idrus, who recorded figures of 7 for 8 against China in 2023.
Bahrain’s Ali Dawood is the only other bowler to have taken seven wickets in a T20I, finishing with 7 for 19 against Bhutan earlier this year.
In overall T20 cricket, only two others have matched the seven-wicket mark: Netherlands all-rounder Colin Ackermann, who claimed 7 for 18 for Leicestershire against Birmingham Bears in 2019, and Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed, who returned figures of 7 for 19 for Durbar Rajshahi against Dhaka Capitals earlier this year.
Yeshey’s record-breaking spell now stands alone, marking a historic moment for Bhutan cricket on the global stage.
