The <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20-world-cup/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">T20 World Cup 2022</a> came to an end as England outclassed Pakistan in the final showdown to clinch the silverware for the second time. Sam Curran (4-0-12-3) starred for the Three Lions with the ball while Ben Stokes (52* runs off 49 balls) delivered the goods with the bat.

The T20 extravaganza turned out to be a tournament where the captains did not have to worry about the dew and also there was not much emphasis on the toss. Additionally, the high-profile competition saw an even contest between bat and ball. Bowlers had their say more often than not which added more spice to the tournament. Let us look at the bowling attacks of the Super 12 teams and rate them based on their performance at the marquee event:

The Bangladesh bowlers started their campaign on a good note and produced an impressive bowling effort to defend a par total of 144 against the Netherlands. However, in their next game, they were clobbered all around the park by the Proteas batters and conceded 205 runs in 20 overs.

When the Bangla Tigers locked horns against Zimbabwe, the bowling group held its nerves to take the team to victory in what was an exciting game. But against heavyweight nations like India and Pakistan, Shakib Al Hasan &amp; co. were good in patches and not consistent enough in the longer duration of the game.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/taskin-ahmed-has-been-star-of-the-tournament-for-bangladesh-habibul-bashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Taskin Ahmed</a> was the stand-out bowler for Bangladesh at the marquee tournament and picked eight wickets in five games at an economy of 7.27. On the contrary, the veteran duo of Shakib and Mustafizur Rahman was not able to perform as per expectations.

Though Mustafizur gave runs at an economy of 5.60, he could take mere three wickets. Talking about the Bangladesh skipper, he bagged six wickets but conceded runs at an economy of 8.78.

Ireland stormed into the super 12 stage courtesy of an impressive bowling performance against Nicholas Pooran &amp; co. They restricted the power-packed West Indies side to 146, and chased it down easily with nine wickets in hand.

The Irish bowlers lacked venom in the encounter against Sri Lanka but were in their elements against the mighty England side. Defending 157 runs, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/t20-world-cup-2022-joshua-little-goes-into-record-books-with-memorable-hat-trick-against-new-zealand/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joshua Little</a> (3-0-16-2) led Ireland’s charge with the ball and helped his team script an epic win by five runs (DLS method).

When Ireland faced Australia and New Zealand, there was individual brilliance on show from a few of Ireland's bowlers but the whole bowling unit did not click, resulting in their opponents scoring over 175 in both games.&nbsp;

Little was by far the best bowler for Andrew Balbirnie &amp; co. picking up 11 wickets in seven games at an economy of 7.00, including a sensational hat-trick against the Black Caps. The left-arm pacer lacked support in the marquee tournament and was waging a lone battle on most occasions.

Two of Afghanistan's five matches in the Super 12 stage got washed out and thus, the bowling unit did not get many opportunities to show its might. However, they did a decent job in the matches they played.

During England’s chase of 113 runs against Mohammad Nabi &amp; co., the Afghan side did a decent job to give Buttler &amp; co. a tough fight and stretch the game till the 19th over. In the encounter against Sri Lanka, though <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/the-secret-behind-rashid-khans-success-is-his-tremendous-hard-work-asghar-afghan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rashid Khan</a> and Mujeeb Ur Rahman came to the party picking two scalps each, the seamers were not able to contain the opposition.

When Afghanistan and Australia took the stage, the seamers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq put on a sensational bowling show, picking a total of five scalps while giving just 50 runs in the eight overs combined. However, the entire bowling cartel did not deliver the goods and the Aussies managed to put up 168 runs on the board.

Overall, the Afghan bowlers did a decent job but lacked a complete application in their display. Also, Afghanistan’s poor batting show did not help either as the bowling unit was required to defend below-par scores on two occasions.

The Netherlands’ lion-hearted bowling displays against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Namibia in the First Round earned them the right to share the stage with the teams belonging to the upper echelons of cricketing circles in Super 12. And the bowling unit did a good job in the Super 12 as well.

Paul van Meekeren and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/twitter-reactions-cricket/twitter-reactions-bas-de-leede-remains-calm-under-pressure-as-netherlands-prevail-in-a-low-scoring-thriller-against-namibia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bas de Leede</a> were the best bolwers for the Netherlands. Meekeren bagged 11 wickets in eight games at an economy of 6.38 whereas de Leede picked 13 scalps in eight games at an economy of 7.68. Other bowlers such as Fred Klaassen and Brandon Glover too stepped up on different occasions, bagging eight wickets and seven wickets in the tournament respectively.

The Netherlands seamers were central to their historic win against South Africa. Defending 158 against a formidable Proteas batting line-up was not an easy task. But Klaassen (4-0-20-2) and Glover (2-0-9-3) put on a show with the ball to help the Netherlands script an upset for the ages and knocked Temba Bavuma &amp; co. out of the competition.

Barring the encounters against South Africa and India, Zimbabwe’s bowling attack delivered the goods time and time again. Blessing Muzarabani was the wreaker-in-chief for the Chevrons and bagged 12 wickets in eight games at an economy rate of 7.65. The tall and lanky pacer was well-complemented by Richard Ngarava. The left-arm pacer picked nine scalps in eight games at an economy of 7.03.

While Muzarabani and Ngarava carried the mantle of the seam attack, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/sikandar-raza-is-special-player-any-franchise-would-love-to-have-him-in-squad-habibul-bashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sikandar Raza</a> led the way at the spin bowling front. The ace all-rounder was Zimbabwe's main weapon in the middle phases of the innings. Raza bagged ten scalps in eight games at an economy of 6.50.&nbsp;

The whole Zimbabwe bowling unit fired in unison in the match against Pakistan. Defending 130, they dented the opposition with wickets at regular intervals and held their nerves during the final stages of the game to clinch a dramatic one-run win against the Men in Green.

After encountering a shock defeat at the hands of Namibia in the First Round, the Sri Lankan bowlers were key to their team’s revival in the T20 World Cup 2022. The bowling unit, with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/sri-lanka-cricket-slc-denies-noc-for-wanindu-hasaranga-to-play-in-the-hundred/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wanindu Hasaranga</a> at the forefront, did a remarkable job registering wins over UAE and the Netherlands, to enter the Super 12 round.

The Lankan Lions put up a fantastic bowling show in the game against Ireland and Afghanistan to restrict the sides to a total of 128 and 144 respectively. The bowling unit also put in a valiant effort when they faced the eventual champions England and gave the Three Lions a run for their money.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers were not bad against Australia and New Zealand either. However, they failed to put up a fight during the crucial junctures.

Maheesh Theekshana and Hasaranga were central to the improved bowling performances of the Dasun Shanaka-led side. Theekshana bagged nine scalps in eight games at an economy of 6.69, while the ace leg-spinner was the leading wicket-taker of the competition with 15 scalps to his name.

Australia had one of the most formidable bowling attacks leading into the marquee tournament. The bowlers were expected to thrive in their home conditions but couldn't deliver as per their standards. Though <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/youll-see-a-few-pumped-boys-and-juices-flowing-for-the-t20-world-cup-opener-adam-zampa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Zampa</a> did a decent job picking five wickets in three games at an economy of 6.66, the seamers were not at their best at the T20 extravaganza.

After getting bullied by the New Zealand batters in the first game, the pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood put in an improved bowling performance against Sri Lanka and Ireland.&nbsp; In the game against Afghanistan, the Aussies prevailed just by the skin of their teeth winning the game by four runs.

Hazlewood picked the most wickets among the Aussie pacers in the T20 carnival with five scalps to his name in four games. On the contrary, Starc and Cummins took three wickets each at the high-profile competition. Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis played the role of the fifth bowler. Maxwell was great with the ball as he picked three scalps at an economy of 6.00 but Stoinis was quite expensive leaking runs at an economy of 9.66.

The South African bowlers wreaked havoc in the encounter against Bangladesh bundling the opposition for 101, with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/kagiso-rabada-and-anrich-nortje-can-help-south-africa-win-t20-world-cup-dale-steyn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anrich Nortje</a> grabbing a four-wicket haul and Tabraiz Shamsi picking a three-fer. Further, when the Proteas clashed with Rohit Sharma &amp; co., Lungi Ngidi (four wickets for 29 runs) and Wayne Parnell (three wickets for 15 runs) led their team’s charge with the ball and restricted the star-studded Indian batting line-up to 133.

After dictating terms in the first three games, the Proteas bowling unit was quite flat when they clashed with Pakistan and conceded 185 in 20 overs. Then in the must win-game against the Netherlands, though Nortje (4-0-10-1) and Keshav Maharaj (4-0-27-1) were quite impressive, other bowlers lacked venom.

Nortje had a dream campaign that saw him bag 11 scalps in five games at a stunning economy of 5.37. Parnell also fared well picking five wickets in as many games at an economy of 6.37. However, South Africa’s pace-spearhead Kagiso Rabada was a pale shadow of his vintage self and managed just two scalps in five matches leaking runs at an alarming rate of 9.43.

Arshdeep Singh’s bowling was one of the highlights of the T20 extravaganza. The 23-year-old set the tone with the ball striking upfront and was impeccable in nailing yorkers. He was the leading wicket-taker for Men in Blue bagging ten wickets in six games. Talking about <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/bhuvneshwar-kumar-looks-tired-and-fast-bowlers-are-allowed-to-matthew-hayden-5300/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bhuvneshwar Kumar</a>, he kept it tight conceding runs at an economy of 6.16 at the global event but could take just four wickets in six games.

Mohammed Shami, who was making a comeback into the T20Is, did a decent job with six scalps in as many games. The Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel took a combined tally of nine wickets but gave away runs at over 8 per over. Hardik Pandya provided crucial breakthroughs to the side and took eight wickets in the T20 carnival.

The entire bowling unit did a decent job in the Super 12 stage. They were clinical against the Netherlands and Zimbabwe and put on a spirited performance against Pakistan and South Africa. When Rohit &amp; co. locked horns with Bangladesh, the Indian bowlers also overcame Litton Das’s early assault to script a come from behind win. However, in the semi-final clash against England, the entire bowling unit was clueless when Jos Buttler and Alex Hales took it to the cleaners.

The New Zealand bowling unit was quite consistent during its T20 World Cup campaign. They completely dismantled the intimidating Australian batting line-up in the first game of the Super 12 round and bundled it for 111. The Kiwi bowlers were again at their clinical best against Sri Lanka and sent the opposition packing for 102 runs.

The Black Caps had one of the best new-ball pairs in <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/learnt-a-lot-from-tim-southee-pat-cummins-after-making-sensational-return-to-kkr-playing-xi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tim Southee</a> and Trent Boult, and the duo did a decent job in the T20 extravaganza. Southee featured in five games and picked seven wickets at an economy of 6.57.

On the other hand, Boult bagged eight wickets at an economy of 7.40. However, the veteran pair failed to set the tone with the new-ball in the game against England and Pakistan, and the Kiwis ended up losing both games.

Mitchell Santner was quite impeccable throughout the tournament. He strangled batters with his accurate line and length and was amongst the wickets in most games. Santner ended the tournament with nine wickets to his credit in five games and that too at an economy of 6.45.

England had a lot of variety in their bowling arsenal. They had the pace of Mark Wood, the left-arm angle of Sam Curran, the new-ball tone setters in Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes, and last but not least, the spin troika of Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, and Liam Livingstone. Skipper Buttler marshalled his troops excellently and the bowlers played their roles to perfection.&nbsp;

However, Curran’s bowling exploits were at the heart of England’s World Cup triumph. He provided crucial breakthroughs and was simply outstanding with nailing yorkers at the death. The left-arm pacer bagged 13 wickets in six games at an economy of 6.52 and was adjudged Player of the Tournament for his incredible showing.

Wood was also quite exceptional at the high-profile competition and took nine wickets in four games at an economy of 7.71. Also, the veteran spinner Rashid came to his own in the two knockout games, picking three wickets while giving away just 42 runs in eight overs.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Pakistan's bowling attack was at its best in the marquee tournament. The pace quartet of <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/england-would-still-have-won-sunil-gavaskar-rubbishes-claims-of-shaheen-afridis-injury-as-turning-point-in-final/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shaheen Afridi</a>, Haris Rauf,&nbsp; Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Wasim breathed fire in the T20 extravaganza dismantling top-quality batting line-ups with its fiery pace. Any team that faced Babar Azam &amp; co. in the T20 World Cup had to go through the wrath of their seamers.

Shaheen was the pick of the pacers grabbing 11 wickets in seven games at a sensational economy of 6.15. Rauf and Wasim were also amongst the wickets and bagged eight wickets each in the T20 competition. While the pacers wreaked havoc at one end, Shadab Khan weaved his magic at the other end.

He was at his consistent best and provided the team with crucial breakthroughs. The leg-spinner bagged 11 wickets in seven games at an economy of 6.34.&nbsp;

Pakistan's bowling attack was key to their revival at the global event and riding on the brave effort of the bowlers, the Men in Green reached the finals. Even in the summit clash against England, while defending a below-par total of 137, the bowlers made a match out of it and put the Three Lions under the pump.

The T20 World Cup 2022 came to an end as England outclassed Pakistan in the final showdown to clinch the silverware for the second time. Sam Curran (4-0-12-3) starred for the Three Lions with the ball

T20 World Cup 2022: Rating bowling attacks of Super 12 teams

The T20 extravaganza in Australia saw an even contest between bat and ball, and bowlers had their say more often than not.

Here we look at the bowling attacks of the Super 12 teams of the T20 World Cup 2022 and rate them based on their performances.

T20 World Cup 2022: Rating bowling attacks of Super 12 teams

The T20 extravaganza in Australia saw an even contest between bat and ball, and bowlers had their say more often than not.

6. Australia - 7.5/10