Rashid Khan took four wickets on day two of the second Test between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan to move closer to clinching the record to be the fastest player to reach 50 Test wickets since the beginning of the 20th century.
Zimbabwe began the day on 6-0 in Bulawayo after bowling Afghanistan out for 157 on day one. The wickets soon began to tumble, however, with Joylord Gumbie out for eight before Takudzwanashe Kaitano was dismissed by Yamin Ahmadzai for a two-ball duck in the next over. By the 15th over of the innings, Zimbabwe had slipped to 41-4.
Rashid first got his name in the wicket-taking charts in the afternoon session, in which he dismissed Brian Bennett for two off 22 caught behind. He then dismissed Newman Nyamhuri four overs later, cleaning him up with a googly which took out off stump. Sean Williams was his next victim, also caught behind, before he finished the innings with the wicket of Craig Ervine.
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Those four wickets took Rashid to 38 wickets across his Test career. The second Test against Zimbabwe is his sixth Test match in the seven years since he played his first-ever match in the format in Afghanistan's maiden Test in 2018. He is now also within touching distance of a significant record.
Only four players have taken seven or fewer Tests to take their first 50 wickets in the format. Of those players, only two have done so since 1900 - Vernon Philander and Prabath Jayasuriya, who both took seven Tests to do so. While Rashid can no longer out-do their record, he could match them in his next Test match. When that will be, however, is not certain. Afghanistan's next Test match is pencilled in against India in 2026.
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If Rashid were to play that match and equal Philander's and Jayasuriya's record, he would also hold an unusual record, being both the slowest and quickest to 50 wickets by different measures. That Test would likely take place around eight years since Rashid's Test debut. No one who has taken the first 50 wickets of their Test career inside 11 Tests has done so in that long a period of time. The next longest is Sydney Barnes, who took six years and 70 days to play his first nine Tests and take 50 wickets.
Fastest players to 50 wickets in men's Tests
| Player | Team | Debut | Match date | Time | Matches |
| Charlie Turner | Australia | January 28, 1887 | August 30, 1988 | 1y 215d | 6 |
| Tom Richardson | England | August 24, 1893 | June 22, 1896 | 2y, 303d | 7 |
| Vernon Philander | South Africa | November 9, 2011 | March 23, 2012 | 135d | 7 |
| Prabath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka | July 8, 2022 | April 24, 2023 | 290d | 7 |
| Fred Spofforth | Australia | March 31, 1877 | February 17, 1883 | 5y 323d | 8 |
| Alf Valentine | West Indies | June 8, 1950 | December 31, 1951 | 1y 206d | 8 |
| Rodney Hogg | Australia | December 1, 1978 | March 24, 1979 | 113d | 8 |
| Terry Alderman | Australia | June 18, 1981 | November 27, 1981 | 162d | 8 |
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