Fazalhaq Farooqi becomes the first bowler in World Cricket to achieve this historic record in T20 World Cup 2024

Afghanistan left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi made history during his team’s heartbreaking loss to South Africa in the first semifinal of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago on June 27.

In a historic achievement, South Africa secured their first-ever final berth in the World Cup by defeating Afghanistan by nine wickets in a low-scoring yet one-sided affair in Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday.

The first semi-final match at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium saw a dominant performance from the South Africa cricket team against Afghanistan, and they entered the T20 World Cup 2024 final in style.

Fazalhaq Farooqi makes history amid Afghanistan’s heartbreaking loss to South Africa in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Semifinal

This defeat marked a bittersweet moment for the Afghanistan cricket team, who had reached the semifinals for the first time in their World Cup history, but their remarkable campaign in the T20 World Cup 2024 has brought immense pride to their nation and fans.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan found something to celebrate despite the heavy loss to the Proteas side, and the reason is their left-arm pacer, Fazalhaq Farooqi. He etched his name in the record books by claiming his 17th wicket of the T20 World Cup 2024 in the form of South African star Quinton de Kock.

Farooqi became the bowler with the most wickets taken in a single edition of the T20 World Cup 2024. The Afghanistan speedster surpassed Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga’s previous record of 16 wickets in a single edition of the T20 World Cup set in 2021.

Farooqi was exceptional with the ball for Afghanistan in the tournament, where he snared a total of 17 wickets in eight matches at an impressive average of 9.41 and an economy rate of 6.31. His remarkable campaign included a five-wicket haul and a four-wicket haul in the mega ICC event.

Arshdeep Singh can beat farooqi's record within 24 hours

However, Farooqi's achievement faces immediate threat, as the Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh stands just a couple of scalps behind to break his record, taking 15 wickets in six matches in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

Arshdeep is in red-hot form, and he will have a great opportunity to break the Afghan star’s record when Team India faces England in the second semifinal on Thursday in Guyana.

With India still in contention for a spot in the T20 World Cup 2024 final, all eyes are on Arshdeep to see if the young pacer can surpass Farooqi’s newly set record and set a fresh world record in the tournament. Notably, the final will be held at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29.

Here’s the list of the players with the most wickets in a single edition of the T20 World Cup:

Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan) - 17 wickets in 2024

Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) - 16 wickets in 2021

Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka) - 15 wickets in 2012

Arshdeep Singh (India) - 15 wickets in 2024*

Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) - 15 wickets in 2022

Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) - 14 wickets in 2024