T20 cricket is all about doing the right things and the right time. In this format, momentum plays a huge role in deciding the winner and the loser of a match. Specifically for the bowlers, T20 cricket can prove to be rewarding as well as extremely harsh. Picking up 5 wickets in a match is nothing less than scoring a century, it is equally decisive plus the magnitude of a 5-wicket haul increases when it is achieved during the world cup.
In this article, Sportzcraazy will be listing the bowlers that picked up 5 wickets at the grandest stage of T20 cricket on the basis of matches taken to reach the milestone.
- Mustafizur Rahman – Cutter specialist and Bangladesh Pacer Mustafizur Rahman is not only the first Bangladeshi to do so but he is also the only bowler who took only 3 matches to pick up a 5-wicket haul in the history of ICC T20 World Cups. His fifer against New Zealand in the 2016 T20 World cup could not direct Bangladesh towards victory but his figure of 5 wickets by conceding 22 runs in 4 overs makes him the first player on the list.
- James Faulkner – The Australian all-rounder during his prime days was considered as one of the most reliable bowlers in the death overs. His efficiency, variations and emphasis on the slower ones are a great source of inspiration and teaching for the bowlers of this generation. James Faulkner is also the only Aussie to take 5 wickets in T20 World cups. Faulkner’s figure of 5 for 27 runs in 4 overs at Mohali helped Australia beat Pakistan in the super 10 of the 2016 T20 world cup. It took him 5 matches to achieve this feat.
- Ahsan Malik – The presence of a Dutch bowler in the list of bowlers with 5 wicket hauls seems a bit unusual due to Netherlands’ world ranking but it actually took him only 9 matches to be in this list. His 5 wicket haul came against South Africa during the 2014 T20 world cup in which he conceded only 19 runs and maintained an impressive economy rate of 4.75 in 4 overs.
- Rangana Herath – The former Sri Lankan left arm spinner finds himself 4th in this list – all thanks to his match winning performance against New Zealand in the 2014 ICC T20 world cup. Rangana Herath picked very important 5 wickets and broke the spine of the Kiwi’s middle order as he removed players like Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, Jimmy Neesham, Luke Ronchi and Trent Boult. The former Spinner helped the Lankans bowl the Blackcaps out for just 60 runs and it took 10 matches to reach this milestone.
- Ajantha Mendis – The mysterious spinner’s tactics was the formula that tricked many world class batters and it still remains unknown. Mendis tore the Zimbabweans apart during the 2012 T20 World Cup group stage match. The former mystery man picked up 6 wickets and conceded only 8 runs in his quota of 4 overs. Ajantha Mendis took 21 matches to pick up a 5-wicket haul, which actually turned out to be a 6-wicket haul and he concludes the list of top 5 bowlers with 5 wicket hauls in T20 world cups.
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