Top Ten Bowlers of T20 World Cup

Twenty20 world cup 2010 got underway on Friday (30 April). Cricket fans are pretty much excited to watch some nail-biting matches. The previous two editions of this tournament were very successful in terms of competition among the teams. The same is now being expected this year too. Earlier, we presented you an article on the top ten batsmen of twenty20 world cup. Now, it is bowlers’ turn.

I have made a list of top ten bowlers of twenty20 world cup. Before going through the article, I would like to say that the list is based on my personal opinion which you may not agree with. While selecting the bowler, I considered the number of wickets, average, economy rate, strike rate and their contribution to the success of their teams. I hope you will enjoy it. You can share your opinion in the comment section. So, here is the list:

Umar Gul

The Pakistani pacer is arguably the best bowler in twenty20 cricket today. He was instrumental in Pakistan’s triumph in ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England where he became the highest wicket taker with 13 wickets to his credit. This was the replication of his success that he achieved two years back in 2007 in the inaugural edition of twenty20 world cup in South Africa where he also claimed 13 wickets to become the highest wicket taker of the tournament, and thus, helping Pakistan to reach the tournament final. Overall, Umar Gul’s 26 scalps in 14 matches have ranked him at number 1 among the top wicket takers of twenty20 world cup. Gul’s average of 12.03 is the highest among the top five wicket takers of the tournament. Besides, he has an impressive economy rate of 6 and strike rate of 12. Umar Gul’s 5 for 6 against New Zealand in the Super Eight round of the 2009 tournament is a record in twenty20 international.

Shahid Afridi

A very effective all-rounder, Shahid Afridi is best known for his hard-hitting batting in international cricket. However, his leg spin played a big role in Pakistan’s successive appearance in the tournament finals of the previous two T20 world cups. With 23 wickets at 14.65, Afridi is the second highest wicket taker in twenty20 world cup. He also holds a very good economy and strike rates of 6.01 and 14.6 respectively. Besides his explosive batting, Afridi has been proven to be a very effective spinner who can restrict the batsmen from hitting boundaries and pick up wickets at crucial times. He was awarded the man of the series award in ICC World Twenty20 2007.

Lasith Malinga

Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga was instrumental behind Sri Lanka’s appearance in last year’s twenty20 world cup final. The stylish pacer took 12 wickets from 7 games, and thus, taking his wicket tally to 19 from 13 T20 world cup matches at an average of 16.52. His economy rate of 7.27 may not be great compared to other top wicket takers, but he was very effective in the 2009 tournament as he picked up crucial wickets for Sri Lanka, and thus, helped his team to reach the tournament final. His strike rate is 14.6 and he picked up 4 wickets twice. Lasith Malinga’s biggest strength is his quick yorkers that he can deliver with sheer perfection and he can bowl in the block holes consistently in the slog overs.

Daniel Vettori

The New Zealand captain is arguably the best left arm spinner today who can check the run rate and at the same time can pick up important wickets for the Kiwis. The spinner has 15 wickets from 9 twenty20 world cup matches and he is ranked 4^th among the top wicket takers of the tournament. Among the top ten wicket takers of this tournament, Vettori’s economy rate of 5.63 is best, and he also has a very good average of 13.53 and strike rate of 14.4. Vettori guided New Zealand to the semi final of the inaugural T20 world cup in 2007.

RP Singh

Rudra Pratap Singh, better known as RP Singh, played a big role behind India’s triumph in 2007 twenty20 world cup in South Africa. The left-arm pacer picked up 12 wickets from 7 matches in that tournament and his 4 for 13 against South Africa ensured India’s semi final progress. Overall, RP Singh has 14 wickets from 9 T20 world cup matches at an average of 13.28. His economy rate of 6.41 and strike rate of 12.4 are also impressive. The young pacer, however, failed to replicate his success in the next world cup in 2009. Unfortunately, RP Singh has been excluded from Indian squad for twenty20 world cup 2010.

Ajantha Mendis

Sri Lanka’s mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis was another bowlers who helped Sri Lanka reach the final of 2009 T20 world cup. Though the Lankans failed to clinch the title after losing to Pakistan, Mendis was impressive throughout the tournament picking up 12 wickets from 7 games at an average of 11.91. Overall, he has 13 wickets from 8 games including the opening game of T20 world cup 2010 with an average of 13.61. His economy rate of 5.90 is very impressive alongside a strike rate of 13.8. It would be interesting to see if he can continue his success in this year’s tournament.

Stuart Clark

The Australian pacer took part in the 2007 twenty20 world cup where he picked up 12 wickets from just 6 matches at an average of 12. His economy rate of 6 and strike rate of 12 also prove his talent. However, the pacer has been out of sight as he did not take part in 2009 tournament and is missing the ongoing world cup too. Clark was rated one of the new star of Australian cricket, but the pacer failed to live up to the expectation. However, I did not hesitate to include him in the list because of the influence he could make on the Australian team within a very short time.

Saeed Ajmal

I already mentioned that Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi were the instrumental behind Pakistan consistent performance in twenty20 world cup so far including last year title win. However, it would be unfair if I do not mention off-spinner Saeed Ajmal who played tremendously well throughout the 2009 tournament claiming 12 wickets from 7 matches at an average of 13.58. His economy rate of 5.82 would also give you a hint of his dominance in the tournament. His strike rate is 14. Ajmal won Pakistan a number of games in 2009 T20 world cup.

Irfan Pathan

I already said that RP Singh was the bowler who played the biggest role in India’s title win in the 2007 T20 world cup. However, you can not deny the contribution of his first bowling partner Irfan Pathan who picked up 10 wickets from 7 games at an average of 14.90. He may not have bagged more wickets than RP, but his wickets at crucial moments played a big role behind India’s success. He was the man of the final for his match winning 3 for 16. Though he failed to do well in 2009 T20 world cup, no body can rule out his contribution to India’s victory in twenty20 world cup 2007. Overall, Irfan Pathan has 11 wickets from 10 matches at an average of 18.18. His economy rate of 6.89 and strike rate of 15.8 are also pretty good.

Roelof van der Merwe

The South African spinner had a very successful tournament last year when he picked up 10 wickets from 6 games in the twenty20 world cup 2009. With an average of 13.50 and an economy rate of 5.62, the spinner impressed everybody, and along with Wayne Parnell, Merwe guided South Africa to the semi final of the tournament. Last year, it was his first world cup tournament and it would be interesting to see if he can continue his success in the currently ongoing T20 world cup in the Caribbean.

For information, I used Cricinfo’s record section.

**All the information is based on the T20 world cup matches until 30 April 2010.