In a sport like cricket, especially the T20 World Cup, batsmen used to be the most valuable asset to any team, as they could single-handedly sway the outcome in favour of the team they were playing for. But as time passed, bowlers became more prevalent, and a good bowling attack has never been as important in the history of cricket, especially in the T20 format as well as the ICC T20 world cup.
Here are the top five wicket-takers in the history of the T20 world cup.
Table of Contents
Shakib Al Hasan
He is the undisputed number 1 Bangladeshi international. In the list of highest wicket-takers at the T20 world cup, with 41 in total. He earned the total wickets in a career that spanned between 2007 & 2021, one of the longest careers at the top level in which he played 31 matches and bowled just under 111 overs.
Shahid Afridi
Afridi is one of the legends of Pakistani cricket and is considered to be the best the nation has ever produced. He was a captain on numerous occasions and has seen himself earn 39 wickets at the world cup for the Pakistan national cricket team. In a career that spanned between 2007 & 2016, he performed exceptionally as he played 34 matches and bowled the most overs than anyone in the competition ever, with 135 overs in total to his name.
SL Malinga
Malinga is one of the most feared bowlers of his generation. The Sri Lankan bowling technique could send a chill down any batsmens spine, and he was one of the reasons why Sri Lanka was successful and competitive internationally. He played between 2007 & 2014, winning the T20 world cup with Sri Lanka, and playing 31 matches, and earning 38 wickets in that time, all the while bowling 103 overs.
Sajeed Ajmal
He is the second of a total of three Pakistanis in this list, who has made his mark on the T20 world cup in the last decade and more. With a career that spanned between 2009 & 2014, he left an impressive mark as a bowler. Having bowled almost 90 overs in 23 matches, Sajeed Ajmal managed to earn 36 wickets in his time with the Pakistani national team.
BAW Mendis
He shares this position with Umar Gul. The Sri Lankan had a shorter career than the player he shares this position with, which explains why he is higher in the rankings, but only just. He played between 2009 & 2014 in the T20 world cup and still managed to earn 35 wickets within 21 games and just inside 79 overs.
Umar Gul
Tied with the above, BAW Mendis is Umar Gul, a Pakistani bowler, who only ever played for seven years at the t20 world cup, between 2007 & 2014, but still manages to hold on to the top 5 spots in the rankings with 35 wickets to his name from a total of 24 matches and just under 83 overs. Thats a solid record.
