5 Greatest Individual Bowling Performances in T20 World Cup history

Bowlers have delivered many match-winning and impactful performances in all editions of the T20 World Cup.

This article will discuss the Best 5 Individual Batting Performances in T20 World Cup history.

#5 Umar Gul (6/5 vs NZ)

Umar Gul delivered one of the best spells in T20 World Cup history in 2009 at the Kennington Oval, London, against New Zealand. The right-arm fast-medium bowler was introduced as the sixth bowler in the match and gave away only six runs in his three overs, taking five wickets. 

Umar ended as the highest wicket-taker in the 2009 T20 World Cup when Pakistan won their first T20 World Cup. In the 2007 T20 World Cup, Gul was again the tournament’s highest wicket-taker, picking up 13 wickets from 7 matches, including three wickets in the final. He sent well-set Gambhir back to the pavilion and took the wickets of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni.

#4 Irfan Pathan (16/3 vs PAK)

Indian pace bowling all-rounder Irfan Pathan bowled a spell of 16 for 3 in his four overs against Pakistan in the Final of the T20 World Cup 2007. Having a fine tournament with the ball, Pathan decided to deliver his best performance in the final. India scored 157 on the bat, and Gautam Gambhir scored 75 runs from 54 balls and smashed eight fours and two sixers. Rohit Sharma, batting at 6, scored 30* off 16 balls. He provided the much-needed finish to the Indian team.

He took the wicket of the Pakistani skipper Shoaib Malik and Yasir Arafat and sent the game-changer Shahid Afridi back to the pavilion on the first bowl he faced. The left-arm picked ten wickets at an average of 15 in the 2007 T20 World and played an essential role in India’s trophy win.

#3 Rangana Herath (3/5 vs NZ)

Herath, who has taken the most wickets for Sri Lanka in Tests, once set up a spin wizard against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2014 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram, Bangladesh. The left-arm spinner started the match with the wickets of Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor, both of whom were dismissed for a duck.

New Zealand, batting second against Sri Lanka, had a task to chase only 120 runs, but they were bowled out for 60 runs in 15 overs, Courtesy Herath picking up a five-wicket haul for giving away just three runs, two maidens in 3.3 overs. These are the second-best figures in the T20 World Cup history. Herath played just three matches for Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup 2014, and he took a total of 6 wickets at an average of 8.8

#2 Sunil Narine (9/3 vs SL)

Narine, the mystery spinner of the West Indies, who is now also seen batting well for his franchise Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, delivered a match-winning performance for the West Indies in the 2012 T20 World Cup Final against Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium Colombo in Sri Lanka.  

West Indies, Batting first, put up a score of 137 runs on the scoreboard in the finals with the help of Marlon Samuels’s 78-run knock. With the ball, Narine picked up an essential wicket from Mahela Jayawardene and ended up with figures of 3 for 9 in 3.4 overs. 

#1 Ajantha Mendis (8/6 vs ZIM)

Four overs, two Maidens, eight Runs, six Wickets—yes, these were the figures of Ajantha Mendis against Zimbabwe at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota, Sri Lanka, in the 2012 T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka batted first and put up a total of 182 runs. Kumar Sangakkara top-scored for them with his knock of 44 runs.

With the ball, Sri Lanka got its first wicket in the sixth over. When Ajantha was given the ball, he removed Vusi Sibanda and Brendon Taylor on consecutive deliveries and later removed well-set Hamilton Masakadza and Elton Chigumbura.

The right-arm off-break bowler was the highest wicket-taker in the 2012 T20 World Cup with 15 wickets from just six matches at an average of 9.8.

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