Cricket
Dwayne Bravo or Rashid Khan or Sunil Narine ? Who holds the crown of best T20 bowler of all time
The best T20 bowler in the world! Who holds the crown for the King of bowling ?
Image Credits: Daniel Kalisz - CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images/Getty Images
T20 cricket is generally touted as the batter’s game because there are hardly any things that are in favour of the bowlers. The pitch conditions along with boundary dimensions and the less movement of balls, make life tough for bowlers. Batters tend to go after the bowlers right from the ball 1 and with just two fielders allowed at the boundary ropes, it makes things worse for them.
However, despite the tough circumstances, there have been some great bowlers who have found a way to ooze their class and found a way to outclass the batters. Over the years there have been several bowlers who have mastered the art of bowling in T20s. The skillset along with the variations that are required in the T20s is not something that every bowler has. There have few stalwarts who have the ability and amongst those, we will see who is the best T20 bowler of all time.
Who is the best T20 bowler of all time?
Image Credit: Rashid Khan (X Account)
The game of cricket over the years has seen many bowling stalwarts playing T20 cricket. The likes of Lasith Malinga, Dwayne Bravo, Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine and many others have graced the game in the shortest format but the question remains who is the best T20 bowler of all time?
Rashid Khan wins our vote for the best T20 bowler of all time. This is because of the kind of class that he has oozed and the performances that he has put in T20 cricket and the leagues around the world. Although he has the second most wickets in the format the impact he has made is greater than anyone.
The reason behind Rashid Khan being rated as the best bowler by Sportsboom is because of the kind of impact he has made in the middle overs in the T20s. The leg-spinner many times has changed the complexion of the game on his own and has won games for his team from the losing position.
Rashid Khan, who is currently the No.4 ranked T20I bowler, is rated highly as best leg-spinner going around in the world of cricket. This is well justified with the kind of numbers that he has in the shortest format of the game. Playing leagues all around the world, Rashid has developed himself into one of the most threatening bowlers.
In the 433 matches that Rashid Khan has played in the T20s, he has bagged 588 wickets with the best figures of 6/17. What has been impressive is his average of 18.31 and the economy of 6.47, which is the second lowest among the top 10 highest wicket-takers in the T20 format.
Not only in the T20s, Rashid Khan has been nothing short of exceptional in international cricket as well. In the 93 T20Is that he has played, the leg-spinner has picked 152 wickets at an eye-catching average of 14.4 and economy of just 6.08, which speaks to the kind of impact that he has made for Afghanistan.
Bowlers with most wickets in T20s
Bowlers with most wickets in T20s
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Best Figures | Average | Economy |
| Dwayne Bravo | 573 | 625 | 5/23 | 24.29 | 8.24 |
| Rashid Khan | 433 | 588 | 6/17 | 18.31 | 6.47 |
| Sunil Narine | 513 | 552 | 5/19 | 21.48 | 6.12 |
| Imran Tahir | 405 | 502 | 5/23 | 19.95 | 6.96 |
| Shakib Al Hasan | 440 | 491 | 6/6 | 21.31 | 6.77 |
| Andre Russell | 504 | 460 | 5/15 | 24.88 | 8.66 |
| Wahab Riaz | 348 | 413 | 5/8 | 22.63 | 7.54 |
| Lasith Malinga | 295 | 390 | 6/7 | 19.68 | 7.07 |
| Sohail Tanvir | 388 | 389 | 6/14 | 26.36 | 7.49 |
| Chris Jordan | 362 | 380 | 4/6 | 27.18 | 8.59 |
Bowlers with most wickets in T20s
ICC T20I bowler rankings
ICC T20I bowler rankings
| Rank | Player | Rating | Career Best Rating |
1
| Adil Rashid | 718 | 746 v West Indies at Barbados 2022 |
| 2 | Anrich Nortje | 675 | 695 v India at Cuttack 2022 |
| 3 | Wanindu Hasaranga | 674 | 797 v West Indies at Abu Dhabi 2021 |
| 4 | Rashid Khan | 668 | 816 v Bangladesh at Dehradun 2018 |
| 5 | Josh Hazlewood | 662 | 806 v Sri Lanka at Sydney 2022 |
| 6 | Akeal Hosein | 659 | 683 v England at Trinidad 2023 |
| 7 | Axar Patel | 657 | 667 v Afghanistan at Indore 2024 |
| 8 | Adam Zampa | 654 | 743 v Sri Lanka at Sydney 2022 |
| 9 | Kuldeep Yadav | 654 | 730 v New Zealand at Hamilton 2019 |
| 10 | Fazalhaq Farooqi | 645 | 692 v Pakistan at Sharjah 20 |
FAQs
Uganda’s Alpesh Ravilal Ramjani is the best economical bowler in T20. The all-rounder has played 48 games in the format and has an economy of just 4.93. He also has picked 75 wickets at an average of just 10.48 to go with the best bowling figures of 4/9
India pacer Jasprit Bumrah is currently the best death bowler in T20s. This is because of his ability to nail pinpoint yorkers along with his brilliant slower balls. The fast bowler has troubled batters a lot in the death over. Overall in T20 cricket, he has taken 295 wickets at an average of just over 20 and an economy of 6.89.
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