T20 World Cup tournament, another event of the International cricket played within 20 overs haul being the shortest format of the game is the most unpredictable one. Both the batsman and bowler have an equal role to be played in these matches. We have witnessed many games where despite the team batsman scoring fewer runs still manages to defend their total.
Be it a T20 World Cup tournament or a customary T20 game, it has always been exciting for cricket fans. Bowlers play a cardinal role when it comes to playing T20 cricket as their unforeseeable wickets bring a big turnover in the game whether there is a big total on board or an easy one they can grant their team a valuable victory with their tremendous effort.
Here we pay a look at the top 25 wicket-takers in T20 games including in the T20 world cup:
1. Shakib Al Hasan (119)
Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, a left-arm orthodox spinner born on March 24, 1987, in Magura in Jessore is at the top of the list of the leading wicket-takers in T20 matches. This all-rounder served the Bangladesh cricket team in T20 World Cup matches and other T20 International formats from a span of 2006-to 2022.
Shakib played overall 96 T20 games for Bangladesh and took 119 wickets including a five-wicket haul and an average economy rate of 6.67 where his best bowling record was with 5 wickets taken with 20 runs given from his 4 overs. In T20 World Cup he played 31 matches and collected 41 wickets with the best bowling figure records.
2. Tim Southee (111)
Tim Southee playing for the New Zealand cricket team as a right-arm medium-fast bowler is also a leading wicket-taker in world cups and his total wickets in t20 statistics for NZ are 111 in a total of 92 matches from 2008-to 2021. This 33-year-old Tim is ranked no. 2 in the chart for taking the most number of wickets in the T20 International cricket games.
With the best bowling figure of 5/18, an average rate of 24.58, and an economy rate of 8.19 he has served NZ with his excellent feature bowling figure and ability to change the match situation to his team’s advantage. He played his first T20 International debut on the 5th of February 2008 in a match against England whereas his last game was against India on 19 November 2021.
3. Lasith Malinga (107)
Former player of Sri Lanka, Lasith Malinga, a right-arm fast bowler holds position number 3 on this list for taking most wickets in the T20 world cups. His ability to hold the ball and bowl it with full efficiency has helped him a lot throughout his cricket career. Being the highest wicket-taker, he has played 84 matches with 107 wickets taken in total with an economy rate of 7.42.
Malinga has played from 2006 to 2020, many T20 World Cup games and other conventional ones in International cricket. Famous for his yorker balls, if we see only the world cup games then it is noticed that he played 31 matches with 38 wickets for Sri Lanka. He made his T20 debut in 2006 against England in June and retired in 2020 with his last match played against West Indies.
4. Rashid Khan (105)
Born on September 20, 1998, in Nangarhar, Rashid Khan, former captain, and Afghanistan cricketer is an enormous player who shows his splendid performance whether it is with the bat, ball, or on the field. Paying heed to his T20 International and T20 World Cup career alongside, he has taken 105 wickets in 58 matches.
With his career-best statistics of 5 wickets with just 3 runs drained and an economy rate of 6.18 which is highly eminent when we talk about managing it in T20 games. Playing for the Afghanistan cricket team from 2015 until now, Rashid has hardly disappointed his team in terms of bowling. He also has 4 four-wicket haul and 2 five-wicket ones in his T20 World Cup career.
5. Shahid Afridi (98)
Next on the list follow up is Shahid Khan Afridi, an all-rounder, former Pakistan National cricket team player, and a captain. He is also the highest wicket-taker in this T20 format who has played 99 matches and has taken 98 wickets overall in T20 games with an economy of 6.63 and three times has taken 4 wickets in a single game.
Whereas, when we count only the T20 World Cup games Afridi has played 3 matches and gathered 39 wickets in them with a 6.71 economy rate showing good statistic history in sports. His T20 debut was against England in Bristol on August 28, 2006, in which no doubt he had performed his fullest with both bat and ball.
6. Mustafizur Rahman (87)
Another Bangladeshi cricketer, Mustafizur Rahman, is basically among the left-arm medium-fast bowlers who also have the most number of wickets in the T20 world cup and International cricket games. His T20 career started in 2015 and ended finally in 2022 being one of the highest wicket-takers.
In between looking up his matches played and wickets were taken he has played 63 matches and has laid hold off 87 wickets in his overall T20 career with an economy of 7.57 which seems pretty good together with an average of 19.65. Rahman’s best bowling figure being 5/22 made him a great bowler at that time.
7. Umar Gul (85)
Umar Gul, Pakistan’s former cricketer and a fast bowler, was born on October 15th, 1982, in Peshawar. He has the ability to bowl perfect yorkers and plays great white-ball cricket and thus is a key bowler for Pakistan. Umar Gul has also played lots of T20 world cups and series and is also a leading wicket-taker of Pakistan.
Spanning from the year 2007 to 2016, he has played 60 matches and was able to clasp 85 wickets with an economy of 7.19 with his career-best being 5 wickets with 6 runs in loose. He was among the best bowlers who could bowl perfect deliveries and grab five wickets in T20 games in a single innings.
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8. Saeed Ajmal (85)
Right-arm spin bowler of Pakistan, Saeed Ajmal is the number 8th on the list among the highest wicket-takers in T20 World Cup. He is a former player of the Pakistan cricket team and has also represented them as a coach also. From 2009-to 2015, Ajmal has appeared in 64 T20 matches and took hold of 85 wickets with best figures of 4/19 along with an average of 17.83 and 6.36 as the economy rate.
Only T20 World Cup games include 36 wickets in 23 matches with an economy rate of 6.79. Saeed Ajmal played his T20I debut for Pakistan in the match against Australia on 7 May 2009 in Dubai whereas his last T20 International against was against Bangladesh at Mirpur on April 24, 2015.
9. IS Sodhi (83)
Inderbir Singh Sodhi, a right-arm leg-spin bowler, plays for the National cricket team of New Zealand. In January 2018, he was listed in the no. 1 t20 ranking for bowlers which confirms that he has been among the highest wicket-takers in the T20 format.
From the year 2014 to 2021, he has played a total of 66 games and taken 83 wickets with his amazing bowling spell. In this short format, he still managed to maintain both his economy and the average rate is 8.05 and 21.97 respectively. This wicket-taker bowler, Is Sodhi played his first T20 against West Indies in July 2014.
10. Adil Rashid (81)
Adil Rashid is a leg spinner playing for the England cricket team. This 34-year-old player was born on February 17, 1988, in Bradford, Yorkshire, and has the most wickets whether it be in the T20 world cup or other T20 games, he is a leading wicket-taker.
His T20 International cricket career lasted for a long span from 2009 until now in 2022 when he engaged himself in 73 games paying hold off to 81 wickets. His career-best T20 figures until now are 4 wickets for just 2 runs given to the opponent team and Adil’s economy rate is 7.26 with a four-wicket haul achieved twice.
11. Chris Jordan (80)
Chris Jordan, born on October 04, 1988, in Barbados is a right-arm fast-medium bowler playing for the England national cricket team whereas he plays in many other leagues including the Indian Premier League for the franchise Chennai Super Kings. He is known to be the death-over specialist in mostly all formats, especially the T20 one.
Jordan’s T20 World Cup and overall T20 games reveal his presence in 75 matches between 2014 and 2022 in which he gathered 80 astounding wickets with a 28.12 average and 8.65 economy rate. Twice achieving a four-wicket haul with perplexing 4 wickets for just 6 runs, no doubt he is among the leading wicket-takers.
12. Dwayne Bravo (78)
Coming up next on the list is a West Indies or mostly called Trinidadian cricketer, Dwayne Bravo another all-rounder mentioned here. His value as a T20 player was very high when he engaged himself pretty well in those formats. In this single edition, he has achieved great success playing fruitful innings for his home team.
He has played many T20 World Cup games and series against different teams and has taken the most wickets being among the all-rounder leading wicket-takers. Looking towards his statistic in T20 formats, he has played for a period of 16 years starting from 2006 until the last year 2021, gaining 78 wickets from 91 matches with an average of 26.10 and an economy of 8.11 overall.
13. GH Dockrell (76)
George Henry Dockrell, a player of the Ireland cricket team, is a 29-year-old all-rounder with right-hand batting and slow left-arm orthodox bowling. He is known for his great potential in bowling when he played a key role in the T20 World Cup campaign in 2010.
Making a record of taking the most number of wickets in T20 World Cup games and other 20 over games his T20 International career lasted between 2010 to 2022 which is till now. Dockrell laid hold off to 76 wickets in 93 games with 4/20 being his best T20 career figure with an economy of 7.12 only which is reasonable in this format.
14. Mohammad Nabi (74)
Born on January 01, 1985, in Loger, Afghanistan, Mohammad Nabi is an all-rounder playing for his Afghan team. As we have judged by his appearance during the World Cup T20 in 2010, 2012, 2014, and, also the 2015 World Cup, Nabi has remained the backbone of his team side due to his outstanding performances in all the mentioned.
Further looking at his whole t20 career, he has been involved in 88 matches with a 7.20 economy, 28.02 average, and best figure of 4/10 and along with this, he got hold of 74 match wickets which enhanced his T20 career brightly. He played his first t20 game in 2010 against Ireland and till now serves his team with his excellence.
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15. S Lamichhane (73)
Sandeep Lamichhane is a leg-break bowler of the Nepalese cricket team who has played for many T20 franchises including the famous Delhi Daredevils team of the IPL league. This youngster is number 15 on this list of the leading wicket-takers overall in the T20 World Cup and normal T20 International games.
Sandeep started with his first game on 2018, 31 May against West Indies, and until today he has played just 39 games with grasping 73 wickets and has a very good economy of just 6.34 which is very good when we pay heed to the game format. No doubt, he will accomplish many more with his great bowling spell.
16. Shadab Khan (73)
Another youngster on the list, Shadab Khan, an all-rounder of the Pakistan national cricket team was born on October 4, 1998, in the Mianwali district of Pakistan. In the T20 format, he is famous for his skills with batting, and bowling and nonetheless his excellent fielding and form. On 26 August 2016, he made his T20 debut for the domestic Rawalpindi team in the 2016-17 National T20 cup.
Now, checking his T20 World Cup and overall 20-over format statistics, Shadab has appeared in 64 matches and blown over 73 wickets. Taking 4 wickets in a single match with 14 runs given out was his best figure in this T20 format. His ability to showcase his talent has never disappointed the Pakistani team.
17. Adam Zampa (71)
Adam Zampa is an Australian cricketer who plays as a leg spinner for the home team with his full energy and enthusiasm. His T20 World Cup journey and others include a total span of 8 years- 2016-22 and till now he continues to play for the Australian team. In between these years, he has played a total of 62 matches and has taken 71 wickets with 5/19 being his career-best along with 6.79 as the economy.
Zampa has made the record of most wickets stumped in t20 internationals (8) and also in the 2016 World T20 Cup game against he played a vital role by taking 5 wickets with an economy of 6.27 which no other bowler on the squad could do. Moreover, he also plays for the IPL team Rising Pune Supergiants.
18. YS Chahal (68)
Yuzvendra Singh Chahal is a current Indian cricketer who also plays for the Rajasthan Royals franchise in the Indian Premier League. He has also taken most wickets in t20 formats and thus does his name appear to us here. From 2016 to 2022, he has played 54 games and taken 68 wickets for India in the T20 format with 6/25 as a super figure against England.
Chahal’s T20 debut was on 19 June 2016 against Zimbabwe where he showcased his bowling skills and until now is known as one of the best bowlers and a leading wicket-taker. With right-arm leg-break bowling style he has won the hearts of many fans in India and who knows abroad too.
19. Jasprit Bumrah (67)
Another player of India, Jasprit Bumrah who is a part of the Indian National cricket team was born on December 06, 1993, in Ahmedabad. Playing the main role of a bowler with a right-arm fast bowling style, he has made the record of being the first Asian bowler to take 5 wickets in test match series which was against South Africa.
Talking about the T20 World Cup and overall T20 format statistics, Bumrah has played a total of 57 matches and took 67 wickets with 3/11 as his best figure and an economy of 6.50 between 2016 and 2022. He played his T20 debut on the 26th of January in 2016 against Australia in Adelaide.
20. Ajantha Mendis (66)
Ajantha Mendis is a former player of the Sri Lanka cricket team with a right-arm off-break bowling style. He holds position number 20 in the list of the highest wicket-takers in the T20 format. If we talk only about the T20 World Cup game then he has played 21 matches from 2008 to 2014 and took 35 wickets with a 6.70 economy.
Overall, his T20 match count is 39 with a total of 66 wickets with an economy of 6.45 and an average of 14.42. Ajantha Mendis was best in the T20 World Cup when he took 6 wickets just for 8 runs which was an unbreakable record of that superb inning. His T20 debut was against Zimbabwe at the King City on October 10, 2008.
21. Mitchell Santner (66)
Born on February 05, 1992, in Hamilton, this 30-year-old is a bowling all-rounder of the New Zealand cricket team. His wickets in T20 games in total are 66 in 62 innings. With an altogether comprehensive economy of 7.27 and an average of 22.95, he has contemplated great success in the T20 cricket format.
Domestically, Santner plays for the Northern Districts cricket team since 2014, and moving further till 2021, he has played all formats of cricket for his team and represented them pleasantly. His experience has made him a good choice for being selected for the T20 World Cups.
22. Nuwan Kulasekara (66)
Born on July 22, 1982, in Nittambuwa, KMD Nuwan Kulasekara is a former player of the Sri Lanka cricket team. As a right-arm fast-medium bowler, he started his career in 2008 and after a year that is in 2009, he was ranked no. 1 in ODI bowling on the 11th of March.
Not only this, but even in T20 World Cup and 20-over games, he was a specialist with the ball, and overall in this format, he has played 58 games gathering 66 wickets with 4 of 31 being his career-best along with an economy of 7.45. In 2017, he retired from t20 international cricket.
23. Stuart Broad (65)
35-year-old, Stuart Broad is an English cricketer known to play for the England cricket team. He is an expert with the new ball in Test cricket and has also captained the ODI and T20 squad with his full determination. He is yet another right-arm fast-medium bowler on the list.
From 2006 to 2014, he has played a total of 56 t20 games in which he managed to blow 65 wickets with a 7.62 economy and a good average of 22.93. His best figure count shows his 4 wickets with 24 runs given in the T20 game. No doubt he also deserves to be on this list with his excellent spells all over.
24. Dale Steyn (64)
Dale Steyn is a professional cricketer in the South African team who has served them for many years in all the cricketing formats. Here we talk about only his T20 World cup and the rest of his T20 games career.
From 2007 to 2020, he has played a total of 47 matches and Steyn in them took 64 wickets in t20 games. His best was 4 wickets with just 9 runs given which tells exactly why he is one of the best bowlers in T20 cricket when we search about them.
25. Imran Tahir (63)
Another South African cricketer who in reality is a Pakistani, Imran Tahir is number 25 on the mentioned list. He is a spin bowler and didn’t hesitate to show his talent in all the formats, especially in the T20 format where he has played from 2013 to 2019.
The T20 games including the t20 World Cup in total count on Imran playing just 38 matches and taking 63 wickets which is huge. He also kept his economy in the right range letting it be 6.94 in almost all of the games and his average is 15.04. He is thus one of the excellent bowlers of the short format and hardly disappoints his team.
