To go and lift the trophy in a T20 competition, the bowlers have to be at their very best. Especially in UAE and Oman, where the pitches did not encourage the batsmen, it was a given that the bowling unit of each team had to step up. Those who did not do well put their teams staring at an unlikely outcome from the competition. In this article, we take a look at the top five bowlers of the T20 World Cup 2021.
1) Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)
Matches: 8 || Wickets: 16 || Average: 9.75 || Economy: 5.20
The No.1 T20I men’s bowler in the world Wanindu Hasaranga finished as No.1 on this list of the top five bowlers of the T20 World Cup 2021. Ever since the Sri Lankan Premier League in which he did well, the Sri Lankan has seen his career spiral upwards. The T20 WC was a major milestone in this journey.
While he had an unbelievable performance against the Netherlands where he finished with the figures of 3/9, Wanindu also had telling contributions against tough opposition like Australia, South Africa and England. Not to forget, he also did well with the bat, scoring 71 against Ireland and 34 against England.
2) Adam Zampa (Australia)
Matches: 7 || Wickets: 13 || Average: 12.07 || Economy: 5.81
Adam Zampa has gone under the radar in recent months. However, he proved again in the T20 World Cup that the leggie was in the best phase of his career. Including a five-wicket haul, Zampa took a total of 13 scalps at the event.
Even when he could not make an impact with the wickets, Zampa ensured an economy of under 6 in six of the seven games that he played. It is a stunning display and furthermore, in every encounter, he took at least one scalp.
3) Trent Boult (New Zealand)
Matches: 7 || Wickets: 13 || Average: 13.30 || Economy:6.25
Trent Boult is not ranked high in T20I’s because he plays very little of the format. However, in recent years, the Kiwi has done well in franchise cricket. At the T20 WC, he did extremely well and helped his side reach the finals.
The left-arm pacer had an impact in almost every game. He did well both in the death and during the powerplay. Some of the top victims that Boult had were Hardik Pandya, Aaron Finch and David Warner.
4) Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
Matches: 6 || Wickets: 11 || Average: 11.18 || Economy: 5.59
With 41 wickets so far, Shakib is the highest wicket-taker in the history of T20 World Cups. He added a total of 11 wickets in the recently concluded campaign. While against Papua New Guinea, he collected four wickets, the Bangladesh legend also had fine outings against England and West Indies although his wickets column don’t show much.
Shakib had a decent show with the bat but was not at his exact best. With the ball, too, there are a few experts who mentioned that he could have been more penetrative. Bangladesh could have done better if Shakib would have been at his all-round best.
5) Josh Hazlewood (Australia)
Matches: 7 || Wickets: 11 || Average: 15.90 || Economy:7.29
Josh Hazlewood stands at No.5 on the list of the top five bowlers of the T20 World Cup 2021. In recent years, Australia has been using their Test specialist Hazlewood in shorter formats. The pacer honed his skills in the format and ended up as one of the best pacers in the competition.
Before the T20 WC, the Aussie had also done well in the IPL. While he took a four-wicket haul in the must-win game against West Indies, Hazlewood did well again in the finals when he removed the likes of Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips and Kane Williamson.
