Stats 2017: Most wickets in T20 Internationals

The new Indian spinner on the blocks in international cricket, Yuzvendra Chahal, has topped the charts of the leading wicket-takers in T20I cricket in the year 2017. The year of 2017 was a great one for international cricket with a plethora of cricketing action taking place around the world. While the T20 leagues were bound to bag the headlines, the international cricket managed to live up to the hype as well.

It is a very well known fact that the shortest format of the game is the most popular one among the masses. Needless to concede why T20I cricket garnered much attention. The year commenced amidst India locking horns with England in T20I series and it is set to end with New Zealand hosting the Windies in the shortest format.

During the course of 2017, over 50 international T20 fixtures were played. While the format is known to be a batsmen-dominated one, any achievement of the bowler is seen as herculean one, and rightly so. As the year of 2017 comes to an end, here we take a look at the top bowlers in T20I cricket this year.

India’s Yuzvendra Chahal, as on December 22, 2017, leads the charts with 19 wickets in 10 international fixtures. Yuzvendra Chahal boasts to be the only one scalping a six-wicket haul in 2017 in the shortest format. Playing against England in Bengaluru, Chahal bagged 6/23.

He is closely followed by Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, who scalped 17 wickets in 10 matches this year. He played a key role in the emphatic Afghanistani win against the Windies this year. Rashid finished the year as the most economical bowler among the top 10 leading wicket-takers this year. Meanwhile, Windies speedster Kesrick Williams had a great year as well.

He also scalped 17 wickets, albeit with a strike rate higher than Rashid. Pakistan’s leggie Shadab Khan made his international debut in the Caribbean this year. With figures of 4-0-7-3 on debut, he certainly made a bold statement. He finished with 14 wickets in 10 matches this year. Another known face of the Pakistani bowling line-up, Hasan Ali, also features in the list with 12 wickets to his name. He is 9th in the list of leading wicket-takers this year.

The name of veteran Sri Lankan bowler, Lasith Malinga, is also a joy to watch in the table. Malinga returned with 12 wickets to his name in just 6 games. The others who finish in this list of top 10 wicket-takers in T20I in 2017, are Imran Tahir, Carlos Brathwaite, Jasprit Bumrah, and Trent Boult.

Most wickets in 2017 in T20I cricket: