Tim Southee Became the 1st Bowler Ever to Scalp 150 Wickets in T20I Cricket

New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee created history on Friday, January 12 by becoming the first bowler to take 150 wickets in a T20I. The right-winger achieved the milestone in the opening match of the five-match series against Pakistan in Auckland.

Southee, a player having experience of 118 T20Is, did an exceptional spell and won their first match against Pakistan, recording a memorable four-wicket haul and becoming the first bowler to score 150 wickets in 20 over format in an international tournament.

Before playing in Auckland, Southee had 147 of his T20I wickets, scoring the likes of Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Abbas Afridi, and Haris Rauf, and became the first player in history to set that benchmark.

The 35-year-old is already the most successful bowler in T20Is with 151 wickets, ahead of Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan (140 wickets), Afghanistan's top spinner Rashid Khan (130 wickets), and his teammate Ish Sodhi (127 wickets), and also left behind legendary Sri Lankan player Lasith Malinga (107 wickets).

Most T20I wickets -

Southee also became the third bowler to score a T20I hat-trick in 2010, taking the wickets of Pakistan batsmen Younis Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, and Umar Akmal. The New Zealand pacer is the second-highest Test wicket-taker in the country. He won by a scalp of 374, his third-highest ODI with 221 victims.

Overall, Southee is New Zealand's most successful bowler, he has played 375 matches and has taken 746 wickets, including 20 five-wicket hauls and 10 fours.