Bowling in a high-intensity and fierce T20 environment and taking wickets is nothing less than a work of art. In every edition of the T20 World Cup, outstanding spells are bowled by classy bowlers. In this blog, we will enlist the 10 bowlers with the most wickets in the T20 World Cup.
Let’s quickly learn about these top-class bowlers who have succeeded in creating history.
Here we go!
Top 10 Bowlers With Most Wickets In T20 World Cup History
Below is the list of the bowlers with most wickets in T20 World Cup History:
| Players | Wickets | Matches | Economy | Average | Strike Rate | 4W | 5W | Best Figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shakib Ul Hasan | 47 | 36 | 6.78 | 18.68 | 16.48 | 3 | 0 | 4/9 |
| Shahid Afridi | 39 | 34 | 6.71 | 23.25 | 20.76 | 2 | 0 | 4/11 |
| Lasith Malinga | 38 | 31 | 7.43 | 20.07 | 16.21 | 0 | 1 | 5/31 |
| Saeed Ajmal | 36 | 23 | 6.79 | 16.86 | 14.88 | 3 | 0 | 4/19 |
| Ajantha Mendis | 35 | 21 | 6.7 | 15.02 | 13.45 | 1 | 1 | 6/8 |
| Umar Gul | 35 | 24 | 7.3 | 17.25 | 14.17 | 1 | 1 | 5/6 |
| R. Ashwin | 32 | 24 | 6.49 | 17.25 | 15.93 | 1 | 0 | 4/11 |
| W. Hasaranga | 31 | 16 | 5.81 | 11.45 | 11.8 | 0 | 0 | 3/8 |
| Dale Steyn | 30 | 23 | 6.96 | 19.3 | 16.63 | 1 | 0 | 4/17 |
| Stuart Broad | 30 | 26 | 7.72 | 22.36 | 17.36 | 0 | 0 | 3/7 |
Now, let’s scrutinize the performance of these bowlers in depth:
1. Shakib Al Hasan
The current champion of the ICC Men’s T20 all-rounder ranking, Shakib tops this prestigious list with 47 wickets. The Bangladesh captain has participated in 36 T20 World Cup matches so far and has bowled consistently at an economy of 6.78.
The left-arm orthodox spinner conceded 18.68 runs for every wicket that he took in this thrilling tournament. He also has three 4-wicket-hauls to his name. Shakib’s best figures in the T20 World Cup are 4/9 against Papua New Guinea in 2021. His strike rate through the various editions of this tournament was 16.48.
2. Shahid Afridi
The Pakistani legend comes in 2nd place in this list of bowlers with the most wickets in T20 World Cup history. Afridi picked 39 wickets at an average of 23.25.
Known for his magical spin, Afridi gave 6.71 runs in every over that he bowled in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The leg spinner also has two 4-wicket-hauls in this tournament.
Shahid took a wicket after every 20.76 balls. His tournament’s best figures were produced in 2009 against the Netherlands. Afridi took 4 wickets for only 11 runs in this match.
3. Lasith Malinga
The Sri Lankan star snaffled 38 wickets in 31 T20 World Cup matches. He represented his team in 5 editions of the T20 World Cup and bowled at an economy of 7.43. Known for his killer yorkers, Malinga took a wicket after every 16.21 balls.
He also has a 5-wicket haul in this tournament against England. This 5-fer also constitutes his best figures in the global tournament (5/31). Malinga’s bowling average throughout the course of various editions of this tournament was 20.70.
4. Saeed Ajmal
The former Pakistani spin-king Ajmal took 36 wickets at an average of 16.86. Saeed made quite a history with his mesmerizing doosra and took more than 4 wickets 3 times in T20 World Cup history.
His amazing World Cup stats also include an economy of 6.79 and a strike rate of 14.88. His T20 World Cup career-best figures were of 4/19 against Ireland in 2009.
The right-arm off-spinner also holds the record for being the 3rd leading wicket-taker in the 2009 World Cup (with 12 wickets) and the 4th leading wicket-taker in the 2010 World Cup (with 11 wickets).
5. Ajantha Mendis
The unorthodox spinner represented the Sri Lankan national team in the T20 World Cup from 2009 to 2014. He picked up 35 wickets at an economy of 6.70. The Sri Lankan superstar has one 5-wicket-haul and one 4-wicket-haul to his name as well. Mendis took a wicket for every 15.02 runs he conceded.
Ajantha enjoys the record for having the best bowling figures in an innings in the history of the T20 World Cup. He made this record in 2012 against Zimbabwe by bagging 6 wickets for only 5 runs.
The right-arm off-spinner was the leading wicket-taker, with 15 wickets, in the 2012 World Cup. He was also named as the 2nd most leading wicket-taker in the 2009 World Cup with 12 wickets.
6. Umar Gul
The former Pakistani pacer lands on 6th spot with 35 wickets in 24 matches. He bowled at an economy of 7.30 and took a wicket after every 14.17 balls. Umar, known for his aggressive, fast bowling, has one 5-fer and one 4-fer to his name in this tournament history.
He was named the leading wicket-taker in T20 World Cup 2007 (with 13 wickets) and T20 World Cup 2009 (with 13 wickets). Umar has the record for the 3rd best bowling figures in T20 World Cup history. This feat was achieved against New Zealand in 2009, where he took 5 wickets for only 6 runs.
7. Ravichandran Ashwin
The Indian spin wizard snaffled 32 wickets in his T20 World Cup career. Ashwin played in 24 matches and bowled at an average of 17.25. He conceded 6.49 runs per over that he bowled in his World Cup career, which started back in 2012.
The right-arm off-spinner was the 4th leading wicket-taker in T20 World Cup 2014 with 11 wickets. His best figures in the history of this nail-biting tournament were against Australia in 2014. In that match, Ashwin took 4 wickets for only 11 runs.
8. Wanindu Hasaranga
The Sri Lankan leg-spinner snaffled an astonishing 31 wickets in only two editions of the T20 World Cup that he took part in (2021 and 2022). Participating only in 16 matches, Hasaranga contributed towards his team’s success on numerous occasions.
He took a wicket for every 11.45 runs that he conceded. Hasaranga’s best figures in this global tournament are 3/8 in 2022. The star player seized the leading wicket-taker title in both editions of the T20 World Cup that he participated in.
This is easily his biggest achievement in his very brief T20 World Cup career. His splendid stats also include a fantastic economy of 5.81 and a strike rate of 11.80.
9. Dale Steyn
The South African gun pacer took 30 wickets in his T20 World Cup career that lasted from 2009 to 2016. Steyn bowled at an economy of 6.96 and took a wicket after every 16.63 balls.
Steyn is highly regarded as the greatest fast bowler of his era. He also has a T20 World Cup 4-wicket-haul to his name. His best figures in the history of the T20 World Cup are 4/17 against New Zealand in 2014.
10. Stuart Broad
The classy English fast bowler concludes this list of bowlers with the most wickets in T20 World Cup history. Broad bagged 30 wickets at an average of 22.36.
Stuart played for his team in 5 editions of this tournament and bowled several outstanding spells. His best figures in the history of this tournament were 3 for 17. His ICC T20 World Cup stats also include a decent strike rate of 17.36.
Conclusion
Sri Lankan and Pakistani players heavily dominate this list of bowlers with the most wickets in T20 World Cup history. 3 out of 10 listed bowlers are from Pakistan, 3 from Sri Lanka, and 1 each from Bangladesh, South Africa, India and England. There are 6 spinners out of 10 bowlers, while 4 were pacers.
It’s disappointing to see no representative of Australia or New Zealand on the list, despite these big teams qualifying for Semis in almost every edition of the T20 World Cup.
