Bowlers with the Most Wickets in ICC Men's T20I World Cups

Witness some of the best bowling performances. Check out the list of bowlers with the most wickets in the ICC Men’s T20I World Cup.

Every two years, cricket lovers around get to witness some great cricket as the nations around compete for the ICC T20 championship. 

Multiple teams aim to qualify for the World Cup but only one gets to win the trophy.

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is one such cricketing event, where the action is non-stop, be it long sixes or flashy yorkers. Some of the bowlers at the international level have made their mark in the international T20 cricket by their consistent performances.

Today, we look at the top wicket-takers in the history of ICC Cricket World Cup. Various bowlers, like Muthiah Muralidaran, Lasith Malinga, and Zaheer Khan, terrorized batsmen during their careers. Some have taken more than 50 wickets and scored six and seven wicket hauls.

Let's have a look at some of the proficient bowlers who took the most wickets in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cups.

Shakib Al Hasan (BAN)

Shakib's hitting is accurate, consistent, and canny; aggression and a variety of strokes are important to his success. More significantly, he has self-confidence and an outstanding temperament, unfazed by the situation and eager to compete against the best teams.

In his career of T20I World Cup, from 2007-2022, Shakib played 36 matches, bowled 129.1 overs and took 47 wickets. The Bangla all-rounder achieved the average and strike rate of 18.63 and 6.78 respectively.

Shahid Afridi (PAK)

Shahid "Boom Boom" Afridi of Pakistan ranks second on the list of most wickets in T20 World Cup history. Afridi has taken 39 wickets with an average and economy rate of 23.25 and 6.71 respectively in 34 T20 World Cup matches.

His unconventional leg spin and fierce attitude on the field made him an important player for Pakistan in the World Cups. He last competed in the 2016 T20 World Cup.

Lasith Malinga (SL)

Sri Lanka's Lasith "Slinger" Malinga is a T20 cricket legend.  Malinga is known for his slingy movement, deceiving slower deliveries, and lethal yorkers, having taken 38 wickets in 31 T20 World Cup matches.

His domination of the death overs helped Sri Lanka win the 2014 T20 World Cup. Malinga’s career spans from 2007 to 2014.

Saeed Ajmal (PAK)

Saeed Ajmal, Pakistan's off spinner, was famed for his doosra deliveries and excellent control. He got 36 wickets in 23 T20 World Cup games before retiring in 2014. His ability to mislead hitters with his variations made him a reliable wicket-taker for the Men in Green.

Ajantha Mendis (SL)

Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lanka's mystery spinner, ranks fifth in terms of T20 World Cup wickets. Mendis, famed for his unconventional bowling technique and multitude of variations, took 35 wickets in just 21 T20 World Cup games. He competed in just three T20 World Cups, winning the title in 2014.

Complete List of Top 10 Bowlers with Most Wickets

Bowler	Span	Matches	Balls	Overs	Wkts	Avg. Rate	Eco.
S Al Hasan	2007-2022	36	775	129.1	47	18.63	6.78
S Afridi	2007-2016	34	810	135.0	39	23.25	6.71
L Malinga	2007-2014	31	616	102.4	38	20.07	7.43
S Ajmal	2009-2014	23	536	89.2	36	16.86	6.79
A Mendis	2009-2014	21	471	78.3	35	15.02	6.70
U Gul	2007-2014	24	496	82.4	35	17.25	7.30
R. Ashwin	2012-2022	24	510	85.0	32	17.25	6.49
PW Hasaranga	2021-2022	16	366	61.0	31	11.45	5.81
DW Steyn	2009-2016	23	499	83.1	30	19.30	6.96
St Broad	2007-2014	25	521	86.5	30	22.36	7.72

Something More Interesting

• Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga is the one bowler who holds the record for getting the most wickets in one T20I World Cup.
• The ICC No.1 T20I Team, India has only one bowler who has the most wickets in ICC Men’s T20I World Cups - Ravichandran Ashwin. 

Hasaranga Looks Promising!

PW Hasaranga is new in the T20I World Cup contest. In a span of just a year, Hasaranga stands at the 8th spot in the list of bowlers with the most wickets in T20 World Cups. Hasaranga is also leading the Sri Lanka squad for the T20 World Cup.

With his incredible performance, Hasaranga is likely to climb up the ladder for most wickets in the T20I World Cup.

The all-rounder, PW Hasaranga has a strong hand in bowling when it comes to international T20 cricket. Hasaranga is also the ICC No.2 T20 bowler with 15.56 average rate and 104 wickets (across all platforms) in account. The team is likely to perform better under PW Hasaranga’s captaincy.