Harare [Zimbabwe], July 25 : New Zealand leg-spinner Ish Sodhi etched his name into the record books on Thursday as he became only the third bowler in men's T20I history and the second from New Zealand to pick up 150 wickets in the format. Sodhi achieved the milestone during his brilliant spell against Zimbabwe in Harare, where he finished with match-winning figures of 4/12.
Sodhi now joins Tim Southee and Afghanistan's Rashid Khan in the elite club. While Southee leads the list with 164 wickets in 126 matches, Rashid is close behind with 161 in 96 games. Sodhi, who also has 126 caps to his name, sits at third with his 150 T20I wickets, underlining his consistency and impact over the years in the shortest format.
His spell helped New Zealand register a comfortable 60-run victory, as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 130 while chasing 191. The only bright spot in the Zimbabwean innings came from all-rounder Tony Munyonga, who played a fighting knock of 40 off 30 balls, which included two fours and three sixes but the rest of the batting card offered little resistance.
Apart from Sodhi's four-wicket haul, Matt Henry chipped in with two wickets, while Zakary Foulkes, Will O'Rourke, and Michael Bracewell took one each to wrap up the hosts' innings.
Earlier in the day, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first. Thanks to Tim Seifert and Rachin Ravindra, both registered fluent half-centuries. Seifert was in top form, scoring a quick-fire 75 off 45 balls with nine boundaries and a six. Ravindra, too, continued his good run, smashing 63 off just 39 deliveries, including seven fours and two sixes.
Thanks to their contributions, the Black Caps posted a strong 190/6 in their 20 overs. For Zimbabwe, left-arm pacer Richard Ngarava stood out with an impressive spell of 4/34.
With this convincing win, New Zealand have booked their place in the final of the T20 Tri-Series, where they will take on South Africa on Saturday in Harare. The Kiwis will be brimming with confidence, especially with Ish Sodhi leading the spin attack in red-hot form.