KEY POINTS
- His record spell dismantled Myanmar for 45 runs in Gelephu, giving him 12 wickets in the ongoing series.
- Yeshey surpassed the previous men’s T20I best of seven wickets, standing alone atop all global T20 bowling records.
Gelephu, Myanmar: Bhutan’s Sonam Yeshey has written his name into the cricketing record books by becoming the first bowler ever to take eight wickets in a Twenty20 match.
The 22-year-old achieved the unprecedented feat in international cricket during the third T20I against Myanmar, sending shockwaves through the record lists.
Match domination
Yeshey’s magical figures of 8 for 7 from his full quota of four overs dismantled Myanmar in Gelephu Mindfulness City. His career-best performance skittled the visitors for a mere 45 runs, chasing Bhutan’s total of 127 for 9.
The series has been dominated by the host nation, and Yeshey himself has been its standout performer, claiming 12 wickets across just four matches so far, with one final game scheduled for Monday.
A leap over seven
Prior to this historic moment, the best bowling figures in men’s T20 internationals stood at seven wickets. Only two bowlers had reached that mark: Malaysia’s Syazrul Idrus (7 for 8 vs China in 2023) and Bahrain’s Ali Dawood (7 for 19 vs Bhutan in 2025). Even in all recorded men’s T20 cricket globally, the seven-wicket ceiling had only been breached twice outside internationals, by Colin Ackermann (Leicestershire, 2019) and Taskin Ahmed (Bangladesh Domestic, 2025). Yeshey’s 8 for 7 now stands alone at the very top.
Context in the women’s game
The previous highest haul across all T20 cricket, men’s and women’s, was also seven wickets. The women’s T20I record is held by Indonesia’s Rohmalia, who took an astonishing 7 for 0 against Mongolia in 2024. Her figures are one of four seven-wicket hauls in women’s internationals, a list that includes Frederique Overdijk, Alison Stocks, and Samanthi Dunukedeniya.
Yeshey’s journey
Sonam Yeshey made his T20 International debut in July 2022 against Malaysia, announcing his arrival with an impressive 3 for 16. While consistent success has followed, wickets had never flowed quite this prolifically until now. His career tally stands at 37 wickets from 34 T20Is, a number now forever highlighted by a world-record performance.
