Four overs are all a bowler gets to bowl in a T20 match. That may not appear much when compared to the number of overs you need to bowl in the other two formats of the game. However, much more is asked of a bowler in T20 cricket than in Tests and ODIs.
A batsman is always looking to attack the bowlers on every delivery. The decks are prepared to aid the batsmen as well and that further compounds the challenge faced by the bowlers. This is especially true in the T20 format, where the bowlers need to perform impeccably to pick up a string of wickets.
With it, therefore, being an extraordinarily rare feat for a T20 bowler to claim four or more wickets during a single spell, we take a look at the bowlers with most number of four-plus wicket hauls in T20 Internationals.
Umar Gul
Pakistani pacer Umar Gul is one of the best fast bowlers we have ever seen in the T20 format, possessing an excellent ability of bowling consistent yorkers at a brisk pace, and with good variations too.
Read | Five most economical bowlers in T20I history
On six instances, he claimed four wickets or more in a career spanning 60 T20I matches for Pakistan. Two of them were five-wicket hauls as well and it included a best of 5-for-6 which came against South Africa at Centurion in 2013.
Ajantha Mendis
Sri Lankan mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis, who picked up 66 wickets in 39 matches at a sensational strike-rate and economy rate of 13.4 and 6.45 respectively, has five instances of four or more wickets in an innings to his name.
Like Gul, two of these instances saw him registering superb five-wicket hauls as well. His best figures in this format read 6-for-8 which came against Zimbabwe at Hambantota in 2012.
Read | Spinners with most wickets in ODIs
Rashid Khan
Afghan wrist spinner Rashid Khan has quickly risen up the ranks as one of the best spinners in world cricket right now. With a stellar 89 wickets in just 48 T20I matches for Afghanistan, nobody has taken more wickets than Khan in this format since his debut.
His exploits include five instances during which he picked up at least four wickets, and his best performance was a 5-for-3 spell against Ireland at Greater Noida in 2017.
Moreover, the fact that Rashid strikes at an interval of every 12.3 deliveries, along with conceding runs at a mean economy rate of 6.14, further bolsters his credibility as one of the best bowlers of this time.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Adrian Dennis / Glen Kirk / Ishara Kodikara
