Shamar Joseph Evaporates Sri Lanka to Claim Record

West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph secured a historic maiden five-wicket haul in Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket, matching a global record for the highest individual wicket tally within a three-match bilateral series.

Before bowling his fourth over against Sri Lanka at Sabina Park, Joseph’s bowling metrics stood at two wickets from his opening three overs. The complexion of the match shifted rapidly during the final over of the innings, where the Guyanese quick took three wickets within a single six-ball sequence. Joseph completed his four-over spell with figures of 5 for 33, marking the first time in his professional Twenty20 career that he has dismissed five batsmen in a single match.

Dissecting the 11-Wicket Series Milestone

Joseph’s performance in the series decider concluded a highly consistent individual campaign against the visitors. The pace bowler claimed exactly three wickets in each of the opening two fixtures of the bilateral series, before logging his five-wicket return in the final game.

By amassing a cumulative 11 wickets across the three games, Joseph became the first West Indian to hit this mark and equalled the global standard established by Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan. Rashid had held the benchmark exclusively since 2019, when he dismantled Ireland during a three-match series in Dehradun by claiming two wickets in the first game, four in the second, and five in the series finale.

Prior to Joseph’s performance, the second tier of this global leaderboard was shared by three bowlers who had achieved a maximum of 10 wickets in a three-match bilateral window: Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, Mark Adair of Ireland, and Hasan Mehmoud of Sweden. Joseph’s 11-wicket haul moves him past Mustafizur and his contemporaries.

Global Records in Extended T20I Series

While Joseph and Rashid share the record for a short-format three-match series, the historical tallies for extended bilateral campaigns remain higher. The current record for the most individual wickets taken in any bilateral T20I series stands at 15, an achievement shared by three international bowlers:

• Jason Holder (West Indies): Claimed 15 wickets over a five-match home series against England in 2021.

• Ali Dawood (Bahrain): Matched the 15-wicket milestone across a five-match series against Bhutan.

• Shreyas Swaminathan (Sweden): Accumulated 15 wickets during an extended seven-match tour against Indonesia.

Leading T20I Wicket Tallies: Three-Match Bilateral Series