Bahrain pacer etches name in history books with record spell

The 33-year-old pacer Ali Dawood recorded the second-best figures in men’s T20I cricket, with his remarkable spell of 7/19 becoming only the second instance of a bowler taking seven wickets in the shortest format of the game.

In the third game of the five-match T20I series against Bhutan, Bahrain set a total of 161 after batting first. Dawood began his spell in the third over of the innings and immediately made an impact, picking up two crucial wickets to leave Bhutan reeling at 11/3.

Bhutan held on after this, adding 67 runs for the fourth wicket but Dawood’s brilliant late spell crushed any hopes of a comeback for the hosts. In the 16th over, he claimed three wickets, then followed it up with two more in his next over to complete a record seven-wicket haul. Bahrain went on to win the match by 35 runs.

Ali Dawood’s 7/19 places him second on the list of best bowling figures in a T20I innings, behind only Malaysia’s Syazrul Idrus. Idrus claimed an incredible 7/8 in an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier match against China.