In T20 cricket, bowlers are very important, even though they don’t get as much attention as the batters. Batters often steal the spotlight by changing the outcome of matches, but over the last 20 years, bowlers have been the ones who truly decide the winners in tournaments like the T20 World Cup.
As we get ready for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA, let’s look at five of the best bowlers in the tournament’s history.
Here are the top 5 bowlers who have taken the most wickets in T20 World Cup history
5. Ajantha Mendis- 35 wickets
Sri Lankan mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis took 35 wickets in just 21 matches across four T20 World Cup tournaments from 2009 to 2014. During Sri Lanka’s championship-winning run in 2014 in Bangladesh, he achieved impressive figures of 3-12 in a group stage game against the Netherlands.
Ajantha Mendis has the best average (15.02) among all T20 World Cup bowlers with over 25 wickets, and the second-best strike rate (13.45) among bowlers with more than 30 wickets.
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4. Saeed Ajmal- 36 wickets
Saeed Ajmal was very important for Pakistan’s victory in the 2009 T20 World Cup in England. The clever off-spin bowler took 12 wickets in just seven games on pitches that usually favor fast bowlers. He also gave away only 23 runs in four overs against a strong South African team in the semifinal.
Ajmal continued to take more wickets in T20 World Cups until his last international game in 2015. He ended his career with 36 wickets from 23 T20 World Cup matches, averaging 16.86 runs per wicket and allowing just 6.79 runs per over.
3. Lasith Malinga- 38 wickets
In just 31 games across five different T20 World Cups from 2007 to 2014, famous Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga took 38 wickets. Besides his many bowling achievements, Malinga also led Sri Lanka to win the T20 World Cup in 2014 in Bangladesh.
Malinga was also very important in Sri Lanka’s second-place finishes in 2009 in England and 2012 in Sri Lanka. His 38 T20 World Cup wickets came with an average of 20.07 runs per wicket and he took a wicket every 16.21 balls.
2. Shahid Afridi- 39 wickets
Shahid Afridi took 12 wickets in the first T20 World Cup and was named ‘Player of the Tournament’. In the 2009 T20 World Cup in England, he took 11 more wickets, helping Pakistan win.
In total, the famous Pakistani all-rounder got 39 wickets in 34 T20 World Cup matches. He gave away only 6.71 runs per over and had a great bowling strike rate of 20.76.
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1. Shakib Al Hasan- 47 wickets
At the top of the T20 World Cup’s list of leading wicket-takers is Bangladesh’s star player Shakib Al Hasan. With his clever left-arm spin, Shakib has taken 47 wickets in just 35 innings, with an impressive average of 18.63. He has kept his economy rate at just 6.78 and has taken four wickets in a match three times during his T20 World Cup career.
Shakib is one of only two cricketers who have played in every T20 World Cup since the first one in 2007. He is on track to become the first bowler in the tournament’s history to take 50 wickets.
Given his skill and reputation, the 37-year-old is expected to reach this milestone within the first week of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
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