KATHMANDU: History was made at the Bayuemas Oval as Hong Kong pacer Ayush Shukla became the third bowler in T20I history—and the first Asian—to bowl four consecutive maiden overs in an innings.
In a match against Mongolia, Shukla delivered an extraordinary spell, finishing with figures of 4-4-0-1.
This remarkable achievement places him in an exclusive club, joining Canada’s Saad Bin Zafar and New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson as the only bowlers to have bowled four maidens in a T20I.
Zafar accomplished the feat against Panama in 2021, while Ferguson recorded it earlier this year in the T20 World Cup against Papua New Guinea, with figures of 4-4-0-3.
Shukla opened the bowling for Hong Kong and bowled an unbroken four-over spell, starting with a wicket maiden by dismissing Bat-yalalt Namsrai.
He followed this by delivering 18 consecutive dot balls, etching his name into the history books.
Prior to this match, the 21-year-old had played 34 T20Is, taking 29 wickets at an economy rate of 8.62.
His previous best spell came in 2023 against Cambodia, where he recorded figures of 3-1-3-1.
Shukla is also known for taking the wicket of India’s captain Rohit Sharma in the Asia Cup 2022.
The match between Hong Kong and Mongolia also saw two other records being set: the third-quickest chase in T20I history and the third-lowest total in T20Is.
Comment