Top Five Highest Wicket Takers in T20 World Cup

October 24, 2021

They say batsmen win you matches, but good bowlers win you tournaments. This statement could not be more true given the state of the cricketing world at present. Although considered by many as the batsman’s game, bowlers have well and truly left their mark in the T20s. The T20 World Cup has been witness to a plethora of talented bowlers over the years. This article highlights the contributions made by the backbone of any team: the bowlers. Here is one such list comprising the top five highest wicket-takers in the T20 World Cup.

5. Umar Gul

Starting off the list we have former Pakistani seamer, Umar Gul. The tall-lanky bowler from Peshawar has taken a total of 35 wickets in 24 matches in the T20 World Cup. Such an impressive showing at the grandest stage of them all makes Gul the ideal choice to start the list with. In his heydeys, Umar was the spearhead of the Pakistani pace attack and he led it to some memorable wins with the white ball.

4. Ajanta Mendis

A pioneer of the mystery spin genre, Ajanta Mendis has 35 wickets to his name in just 21 matches. In a list containing greats like Malinga, Ajmal, etc, it is Mendis with the best wicket-per-match ratio. Stepping out of Murali’s vast shadow and creating a legacy of his own, Mendis is worthy of all the praise. It’s safe to say that Mendis paved the way for some of the modern-day greats like Sunil Narine and promising up-and-comers like Varun Chakravarthy.

3. Saeed Ajmal

The former Pakistani off-spinner sits at the 3rd spot with 36 scalps under his belt. The workhorse was always the go-to option for his skipper in the need of the hour. His endless variations and consistency with the ball definitely put him up there with some of the greatest off-spinners in white-ball cricket.

2. Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga could easily walk into the greatest T20 XI of all time. Rocking those infamous flavourful curls since the dawn of time, Slinga Malinga is the highest wicket-taker in iT20s. Mali also has 38 wickets to his name in 31 matches in WT20, narrowly missing out on the top spot. Although he’s widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers, his contributions to Sri Lankan cricket as captain cannot be overlooked. The Malinga-led Sri Lanka shocked the world by beating tournament favorites India in the finals of the 2014 T20 World Cup and became World Champions for the first time.

1. Shahid Afridi

Pakistan’s swash-buckling all-rounder Shahid Afridi leads the wicket taker’s chart in the T20 World Cup. Having represented Pakistan in all 6 World Cups, Afridi has 39 scalps to his name. A miser when it comes to conceding runs, Afridi has an economy of 6.71 in the T20 World Cups. Along with wickets, he has accumulated 546 runs in 32 innings. Afridi played a pivotal role in Pakistan’s road to championship glory in 2009. “Boom-Boom” scored a blistering 54 off 40 balls in the finals and grabbed 2 wickets too as he was adjudged Man of the Match.