Top 10 Bowlers With The Most Wickets In T20I Cricket
Published - 18 Mar 2022, 11:15 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:06 AM
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T20I cricket has revolutionised batting as well as bowling. Bowlers have come up with new deliveries with many variations in their arsenal. Time and again they have outthought and outfoxed the best of batsmen in world cricket. The emergence of IPL and other leagues have made the bowlers work hard on their game to stay in the contest.
Lasith Malinga, Sunil Narine, Rashid Khan amongst others are examples of bowlers who have made a career out of T20I cricket. Batsmen are yet to read Rashid despite playing them repeatedly. It is the trickery that they do with their fingers that keeps the batsmen guessing and they are found wanting. In this article, we will take a look at top 10 bowlers with most wickets in T20I cricket.
Top 10 Bowlers With The Most Wickets In T20I Cricket
Shakib Al Hasan – 119 Wickets In 96 Matches
For a country that is yet to win a major ICC title in senior men’s cricket, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan tops the list of most wickets in T20I cricket. He is 8 wickets ahead of the next best Tim Southee in the line-up. Over the years, the arm ball has been Shakib’s stock delivery. The ball either comes in or goes away from the same spot after pitching. He often beats the batsmen with his spin and guild as well.
*Stats updated till 18/03/22.
Tim Southee – 111 Wickets In 92 Matches
Kiwi pacer Tim Southee ranks second in this elite list of bowlers. He is also the only New Zealand bowler to feature in this list. Southee has playing T20I cricket for over a decade now and has gotten the best of batsmen out in the meantime.
*Stats updated till 18/03/22.
Lasith Malinga – 107 Wickets In 84 Matches
Malinga was the first bowler to get to 100 T20I wickets in 2019 against New Zealand. He surpassed Shahd Afridi who was leading the list of bowlers. Colin Munro was his 100th T20I wicket. He took four wickets in four balls in that game with Hamish Rutherford, Colin de Grandhomme and Ross Taylor being his next three wickets.
*Stats updated till 18/03/22.
Rashid Khan – 105 Wickets In 58 Matches
Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan was amongst the quickest to get to 100 T20I wickets in terms of matches. Currently, he is on 105 wickets and the fourth-highest in this list. He was the first Afghanistan player to play in T20 franchise cricket leagues. Rashid has played a huge role in bringing Afghanistan cricket to the forefront making it a force to reckon with.
*Stats updated till 18/03/22.
Shahid Afridi – 98 Wickets In 99 Matches
Afridi retired from international cricket in 2018 with 98 T20I wickets to his name. The former Pakistan skipper was one of the first few players to become a reputed T20 cricketer. He played in various T20 leagues across the globe and left a lasting impression in almost all of them.
*Stats updated till 18/03/22.
Mustafizur Rahman – 87 Wickets In 63 Matches
*Stats updated till 18/03/22.
Umar Gul – 85 Wickets In 60 Matches
Gul is one of the best exponents of reverse swing in international cricket. He bowled with pace and a lot of firepowers when he was at the peak of his international career. He is the second Pakistan bowler to feature in this line-up.
*Stats updated till 18/03/22.
Saeed Ajmal – 85 Wickets in 64 Matches
Ajmal also has 85 wickets to his name in T20I international cricket. He had an unplayable ‘Doosra’ with which he troubled the best of batsmen. Ajmal along with Shahid Afridi tormented opposition batters when they played together. Both were a part of the squad that won the T20 World Cup in 2009.
*Stats updated till 18/03/22.
Ish Sodhi – 83 Wickets In 66 Matches
Sodhi is the second Kiwi bowler to feature in this line-up. He has so far taken 85 wickets in 66 matches. He forms a very good bowling partnership with Mitchell Santner in international cricket. Together they have taken 149 T20I wickets in their career.
*Stats updated till 18/03/22.
Adil Rashid – 81 Wickets From 73 Matches
Rashid is the only England bowler to feature in this list. So far in his international T20I career, he has taken 81 wickets with the next best being Chris Jordan with 80 wickets from 75 T20Is. Together they have taken over 160 international T20I wickets.
*Stats updated till 18/03/22.
Also Read: IPL 2022: Top 5 Bowlers With Best Bowling Figures In The 2021 Edition Of The Tournament
