Bhutan’s left-arm spinner Sonam Yeshey etched his name into the record books by becoming the first bowler ever to take eight wickets in a T20 match, international or otherwise. The historic feat came during the third T20I against Myanmar in Gelephu on Friday, where the 22-year-old produced a spell for the ages, finishing with astonishing figures of 8 for 7 from four overs.
Yeshey’s breathtaking performance dismantled Myanmar for just 45 runs as they attempted to chase Bhutan’s modest total of 127 for 9. Bhutan went on to register an emphatic 82-run victory, extending their unbeaten run to 4-0 in the ongoing five-match T20I series, with the final match scheduled for Monday.
Bhutan Cricket hailed the achievement on social media, calling it “a spell for the ages” and confirming it as a world record. Until Yeshey’s effort, the best bowling figures in men’s T20 internationals were seven-wicket hauls, achieved only twice – by Malaysia’s Syazrul Idrus (7/8 against China in 2023) and Bahrain’s Ali Dawood (7/19 against Bhutan in 2025).
Even across all men’s T20 cricket, seven wickets had been the ceiling. Only two such feats had been recorded outside internationals: Colin Ackermann’s 7/18 for Leicestershire against Birmingham Bears in 2019 and Taskin Ahmed’s 7/19 for Durbar Rajshahi against Dhaka Capitals in 2025. Yeshey’s eight-wicket haul has now set a new global benchmark.
In women’s T20 cricket, the best figures remain Indonesia’s Rohmalia’s extraordinary 7 for 0 against Mongolia in 2024, with several other seven-wicket hauls recorded in women’s internationals. However, no bowler — male or female — had ever claimed eight wickets in a T20 match before Yeshey.
The landmark spell capped a dominant series for the young spinner, who has taken 12 wickets in four matches so far. Yeshey made his T20I debut against Malaysia in July 2022, making an immediate impression with figures of 3 for 16. Since then, he has steadily grown in stature, and this record-breaking performance has taken his tally to 37 wickets in 34 T20 internationals, at an average of 17.37 and an economy rate of 5.69.
With his historic achievement, Sonam Yeshey has not only delivered a memorable victory for Bhutan but has also carved out a unique place in the history of T20 cricket.
(With agency inputs)
