Waseem passes Rohit Sharma for most T20I sixes as captain
UAE captain Muhammad Waseem has become the batsman with the most sixes as captain in men's T20 internationals, reaching 106 to pass Rohit Sharma's 105 in 35 matches. In the tri-series match against Afghanistan at Sharjah, Waseem made 67 off 37 balls with four fours and six sixes. Afghanistan scored 188/4 and UAE 150/8, losing by 38 runs. Rahul Chopra was unbeaten on 52. It was UAE's second straight defeat, after a 31-run loss to Pakistan.
Source
Sri Sathya Sai — ఆరోగ్యం · read the original report ↗
Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- Muhammad Waseem scored 67 off 37 balls with four fours and six sixes against Afghanistan. — Figures appear in the source; no scorecard attribution given.
- Waseem has 106 sixes as captain in T20Is, passing Rohit Sharma's 105 in 35 matches. — Numbers and comparative list appear in the source; statistical source not named.
- Afghanistan made 188/4 in 20 overs and UAE 150/8 at Sharjah, a 38-run defeat. — Internally consistent with the stated 38-run margin.
- This was UAE's second successive loss in the tri-series, after a 31-run defeat to Pakistan. — Stated in source without attribution.
- Rahul Chopra remained unbeaten on 52 for UAE. — Figure appears in source; unattributed.
Analysts’ view opinion
Mohammad Waseem's record is a genuine personal milestone, but the same match underlined how thin UAE's batting depth is. His 67 off 37 balls with six sixes shows he is the one top-order player capable of taking the game on; folding to 150/8 chasing 188 shows the middle and lower order did not follow. He now has 106 captaincy sixes to Rohit Sharma's 105 in 35 matches — though the story does not state how many games Waseem needed, which hints at a volume-driven record.
- 106 sixes as captain is a landmark, but associate-nation captains tend to play a high volume of T20Is, so match count matters in judging it.
- Waseem's 67 and Rahul Chopra's unbeaten 52 account for most of UAE's 150, exposing how much the batting leans on two men.
- Afghanistan's 188/4 suggests UAE could not force breakthroughs through the middle overs.
- Margins of 31 runs to Pakistan and 38 to Afghanistan show UAE staying in games but losing the closing phases against stronger sides.
- Sharjah is familiar territory for UAE, so failing to convert home conditions into a result is the bigger sporting concern.
What to watch — Whether UAE's middle order can support Waseem in the remaining tri-series games, or the over-reliance on the captain continues.
The story does not give Waseem's match count for the 106 sixes, nor Afghanistan's individual scores or bowling figures, so the record cannot be read as a like-for-like comparison.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 3 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
UAE captain Muhammad Waseem set a new men's T20 international record for the most sixes hit by a captain, moving to 106 and overtaking former India T20 captain Rohit Sharma's 105. The record came during the third match of an ongoing tri-series involving UAE, Afghanistan and Pakistan, played at Sharjah. Waseem's 67 off 37 balls could not prevent UAE from losing to Afghanistan by 38 runs, their second straight defeat in the series.
Key facts
- Muhammad Waseem now has 106 sixes as captain in men's T20 internationals, the most by any captain.
- Rohit Sharma, the previous record holder, hit 105 sixes in 35 matches as captain.
- In the third tri-series match against Afghanistan, Waseem scored 67 off just 37 balls with four fours and six sixes.
- Afghanistan batted first at Sharjah and made 188 for 4 in 20 overs.
- UAE were restricted to 150 for 8 in 20 overs, losing by 38 runs.
- Apart from Waseem, Rahul Chopra was UAE's other main contributor with an unbeaten 52.
- This was UAE's second consecutive defeat in the tri-series, after a 31-run loss to Pakistan.
- Most T20I sixes as captain: Waseem 106*, Rohit Sharma 105, Eoin Morgan 86, Aaron Finch 82, Kadowaki Fleming (Japan) 79, Jos Buttler 69.
Timeline
- Earlier in the tri-seriesUAE lose to Pakistan by 31 runs, their first defeat of the series.
- Third tri-series match, SharjahAfghanistan post 188/4; Waseem makes 67 off 37 balls and passes Rohit Sharma's six-hitting record as captain; UAE end on 150/8 and lose by 38 runs.
- 2 September 2025Report published noting Waseem's tally of 106 sixes as captain.
Who has a stake
- Muhammad Waseem (UAE captain) — Holds the new world record of 106 T20I sixes as captain; his form anchors UAE's batting.
- UAE cricket team — Two straight tri-series losses despite strong individual performances; needs to fix collapses like 150/8.
- Rohit Sharma — Loses the record for most T20I sixes as captain, held with 105 in 35 matches.
- Afghanistan cricket team — Won the Sharjah match by 38 runs after posting 188/4, strengthening their tri-series campaign.
- Pakistan cricket team — Third team in the tri-series; already beat UAE by 31 runs.
- Rahul Chopra (UAE batter) — Unbeaten 52 was UAE's only other significant contribution in the chase.
Why it matters
A batter from an Associate nation overtaking a leading Test-nation captain on a global six-hitting list signals how far UAE cricket's top-order power has come. It also highlights that individual records do not translate into team results: Waseem's record-setting 67 still ended in a 38-run defeat and UAE's second straight loss in the tri-series.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- Muhammad Waseem (UAE) holds the record for most sixes as captain in men's T20Is with 106, passing Rohit Sharma's 105.
- Rohit Sharma's 105 sixes as T20I captain came in 35 matches.
- Top of the list after Waseem and Rohit: Eoin Morgan (England) 86, Aaron Finch (Australia) 82, Kadowaki Fleming (Japan) 79, Jos Buttler (England) 69.
- The record-setting innings: 67 off 37 balls (4 fours, 6 sixes) against Afghanistan at Sharjah.
- Match scores: Afghanistan 188/4 in 20 overs; UAE 150/8 in 20 overs; Afghanistan won by 38 runs.
- UAE's earlier tri-series loss was to Pakistan by 31 runs; Rahul Chopra made 52 not out against Afghanistan.
Mains framing
Waseem's record shows the changing texture of T20 internationals, where the shortest format's power-hitting metrics are increasingly dominated by players from Associate nations who play high volumes of T20Is; his 106 sixes as captain now exceed Rohit Sharma's 105 in 35 matches, with Morgan (86), Finch (82), Kadowaki Fleming (79) and Buttler (69) trailing. Yet the Sharjah match illustrates the limits of individual brilliance in team sport: despite 67 off 37 balls with six sixes and Rahul Chopra's unbeaten 52, UAE managed only 150/8 against Afghanistan's 188/4 and lost by 38 runs — their second straight defeat after a 31-run loss to Pakistan. The implication for UAE is the need for depth beyond the captain, since two batters carried the chase while the rest fell for eight wickets. The way forward, on the evidence in the source, lies in converting the exposure of tri-series cricket against stronger sides such as Afghanistan and Pakistan into more consistent middle-order support, so that record-breaking innings produce wins rather than statistics.
Key terms
- T20I
- Twenty20 International — a 20-over-per-side international cricket match, the format in which these six-hitting records are counted.
- Tri-series
- A tournament between three teams; here UAE, Afghanistan and Pakistan, with matches being played at Sharjah.
- Sharjah
- UAE cricket venue where Afghanistan beat UAE by 38 runs in the third tri-series match.
- Sixes as captain
- Record category counting sixes hit by a player only in matches where he led the side; Waseem 106, Rohit Sharma 105.
- 188/4
- Afghanistan's total — 188 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs, against UAE's 150/8.
Practice questions
- Muhammad Waseem's record for most T20I sixes as captain highlights the rise of Associate nations in the shortest format. Discuss with reference to the figures in the story.
- Individual records rarely decide T20 matches. Examine this statement using the Sharjah match between UAE and Afghanistan.
- Who currently holds the record for most sixes as captain in men's T20 internationals, and whose record was broken? Give the figures.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.