In a remarkable display of fast bowling with precision, Malaysia’s seamer Syazrul Idrus etched his name in cricketing history by becoming the first player to take seven wickets in a T20 International (T20I) match. This extraordinary feat occurred during the opening game of the T20 World Cup Asia B Qualifier in Kuala Lumpur, where Malaysia faced off against China.
Idrus’s exceptional bowling performance saw him consistently swing the ball into the batters, leaving the Chinese side struggling to find their footing. All seven wickets he claimed were bowled, a prove to his ability to outfox and outmaneuver his opponents with his crafty deliveries.
Prior to this, the record for the best bowling figures in a men’s T20I match belonged to Nigeria’s Peter Aho, who had taken 6 wickets for just 5 runs against Sierra Leone in 2021. However, Idrus surpassed this milestone, proving himself as a force to be reckoned with on the cricketing stage.
China won the toss and chose to bat, but their fortunes quickly changed as Idrus struck in the fourth over, dismissing Wang Liuyang for a mere 3 runs. Coming in as the first change bowler, Idrus continued his assault on the Chinese batting lineup, securing three more wickets in the same over. In the following over, he completed his five-wicket haul, putting his team in a dominant position.
Even in his final over, the seamer did not let up, delivering a maiden and claiming two more wickets, finishing the match with an extraordinary bowling figure of 4 overs, 1 maiden, 7 runs conceded, and an astounding 8 wickets taken. By the end of the ninth over, China was left reeling at a mere 20 for 9.
Vijay Unni also contributed to the bowling effort, dismissing Luo Shilin lbw, bringing an end to China’s innings with a paltry score of 23 runs.
In the pursuit of victory, Malaysia faced an early hiccup as they lost their openers with just 3 runs on the board after two overs. However, Virandeep Singh stepped up to the challenge, smashing 19 runs off a mere 14 balls, including two fours and a six, guiding his team to a comfortable victory in just 4.5 overs.
Syazrul Idrus has played 124 matches for Malaysia and bagged 170 wickets at a mind-blowing average of 14.3. Not only he is a pure wicket-taker but also, his economy of 6.57 really stands out. So far in PRE T20 WC ASIA QUALIFIER, Idrus has taken 9 wickets in 5 matches at an average of 9.33 and economy of 6.38.
