Most wickets in a T20 World Cup edition: Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi leads the way

Throughout the history of the T20 World Cups, we have seen excellent performances from bowlers helping their teams get over the line on various occasions. 

Pakistan's Shahid Afridi and Sam Curran of England were awarded the Player of the Tournament in the 2007 and 2022 editions, respectively, for their excellent bowling performances.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan's Fazalhaq Farooqi holds the record for the most wickets in a T20 World Cup edition. He bagged 17 wickets in eight matches in 2024. Interestingly, five of the top 10 list of most wickets in a T20 World Cup edition have come in 2024.

India’s Arshdeep Singh is fourth on the list with 15 wickets from seven matches and just three wickets away from moving to the top. Arshdeep has one last shot at the feat as India meet South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

Here is a look at the list of bowlers with most wickets in a T20 World Cup edition. 

Most wickets in a T20 World Cup edition

Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan) - 17 wickets in 2024

Fazalhaq Farooqi leads the chart for the bowlers with the most wickets in a T20 World Cup edition. The left-arm pacer has taken 17 wickets from eight matches for Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup 2024 jointly hosted by the West Indies and the United States of America. 

Fazal was one of the main architects of Afghanistan’s best showing in an ICC World Cup helping his side storm into the semi-finals of the showpiece event in 2024. He averaged just 9.41 runs per wicket with an unbelievable strike rate of 8.94, which means a wicket every nine balls.

Fazal started the T20 World Cup 2024 with a bang, picking up a five-wicket haul in Afghanistan's first match against Uganda in Guyana. He registered his career-best T20I figures with an impressive 5/9 in four overs as Afghanistan thrashed Uganda by 125 runs. 

The pacer showed no signs of slowing down as he picked up a match-winning 4/17 against New Zealand to power Afghanistan to a historic 84-run win over the Kiwis. He also registered a three-wicket haul against India in Afghanistan’s Super 8 contest.

Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) - 16 wickets in 2021

Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga is second on the list of most wickets in a T20 World Cup edition with 16 wickets from eight matches in the 2021 edition held in Oman and United Arab Emirates. He averaged just 9.75 runs per wicket at a miserly economy of 5.20.

Hasaranga picked up his best figures of 3/9 in three overs as the Lankans skittled out Netherlands for 44 in their first-round match in Sharjah. Sri Lanka pocketed the contest by eight wickets and progressed to the next round. 

Throughout the World Cup Hasaranga proved to be a threat picking up a wicket every two overs for Sri Lanka. The leg-spinner was also the highest wicket-taker in the next edition of the T20 World Cup in 2022 with 15 wickets from eight matches.

Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka) - 15 wickets in 2012

Ajantha Mendis was one of the pillars in Sri Lanka’s run till the finals of the T20 World Cup 2012 held in their backyard, which is still the best run by any home team in the T20 World Cup. 

Mendis tallied a total of 15 wickets from just six matches at an average of 9.80 and an excellent strike rate of 9.60. Batters found it hard to pick his mystery spin as he finished the competition with an economy of just 6.12.

Mendis provided a cue to other teams of what was in store by bowling an unbelievable spell against Zimbabwe in the first match of the T20 World Cup at Hambantota. His 6/8 off four overs is still the best bowling figures recorded by any bowler in a T20 World Cup match. Sri Lanka thrashed Zimbabwe by 82 runs to start their campaign in style.

Photo credit: Alamy