The 22-year-old Bhutan left-arm spinner Sonam Yeshey recently created history in men’s T20I cricket, as he became the first bowler in T20I or T20 cricket history to claim eight wickets in a match.
It was the third game of the five-match T20I series in the Myanmar tour of Bhutan, where Bhutan claimed an 82-run win to take a 3-0 lead in the series, as the hosts secured the series. While Bhutan scored 127/9 in 20 overs in the third T20I, Myanmar were bundled out for only 45 runs in 9.2 overs.
Sonam Yeshey got eight wickets in the second innings of the match, as the left-arm spinner finished with the bowling figures of 4-1-7-8. Sonam started to take his wicket from his first ball of the game, as he claimed three wickets in his first over, which was the third over of the innings, including wickets in the first two balls. At the end of that over, his bowling figures were 1-1-0-3, as the left-arm spinner got three wickets in the first four balls.
In his next over (fifth over of the innings), Sonam got one wicket. Sonam got two back-to-back wickets in his third over (seventh over of the innings). In his final over (ninth over of the innings), Sonam recorded another two wickets in successive deliveries to record eight wickets in the game.
While previously four different bowlers recorded a seven-wicket haul once each in T20 cricket, including twice in the T20I format, it was the first time in T20 cricket history that a bowler recorded an eight-wicket haul.
Best bowling figures in T20 cricket
Player (Team) | Bowling figures | Opposition | Venue | Date | Ultimate Status |
Sonam Yeshey (Bhutan) | 4-1-7-8 | Myanmar | Gelephu | 26 December 2025 | T20I |
Syazrul Idrus (Malaysia) | 4-1-8-7 | China | Kuala Lumpur | 26 July 2023 | T20I |
Colin Ackermann (Leicestershire) | 4-0-18-7 | Bears | Leicester | 7 August 2019 | T20 |
Taskin Ahmed (Durbar Rajshahi) | 4-0-19-7 | Dhaka Capitals | Mirpur | 2 January 2025 | T20 |
Ali Dawood (Bahrain) | 4-0-19-7 | Bhutan | Gelephu | 11 December 2025 | T20I |
