Rare milestone for New Zealand quick Tim Southee during first T20I against Pakistan

Auckland: Tim Southee became the first bowler to breach the 150-wicket barrier in T20Is on Friday at Eden Park, here.

Veteran New Zealand pacer Tim Southee completed 150 wickets in the shortest format, becoming the first bowler in Men's T20Is to reach the milestone.

Southee achieved the feat on Friday in Auckland during the first T20I against Pakistan, where he claimed figures of 4/25 in his four-over spell.

Abbas Afridi was Southee's 150th victim in T20Is. The New Zealand quick was the third to get to 100 T20I wickets behind Shakib Al Hasan and Lasith Malinga, an ICC report said.

Southee, who made his T20I debut in 2008, currently has 746 international wickets, including over 350 in the longest format of the game.

The New Zealand seamer was in good form at Eden Park, dismissing Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Abbas Afridi and Haris Rauf as Pakistan attempted to chase 228.

New Zealand won by 46 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series. The next T20I will be played on Sunday in Hamilton.