Top 5 Bowlers to Watch Out for in T20i World Cup 2024

Get ready for the ICC T20i World Cup 2024! The top 5 bowlers to watch in the event are Mitchell Starc, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Jofra Archer, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Cricket fans are excited to see the enthusiasm at the ICC T20i World Cup 2024, which is quickly approaching. Some of the best bowlers in the world will be on show as twenty teams compete for the trophy. This competition promises to feature everything from spin magicians to pace demons. The top 5 bowlers to look out for in the 2024 T20i World Cup are listed below.

Mitchell Starc: The Australian pacer Spearhead 

One of the most dangerous fast bowlers in the world, Mitchell Starc has an outstanding track record in major competitions. Starc has 183 wickets in 133 T20 innings, making him a formidable opponent.

Big players perform on big occasions and Mitchell Starc has certainly shown over the years that he stands up when it counts.

Despite his record price tag, Mitchell Starc has not had a fantastic IPL season. He has been unpredictable and unreliable for the Knight Riders. But the seasoned left-arm seamer, who is among the best fast bowlers in white-ball history, steps up his game in the world’s biggest competitions. 

In the thrilling World Cup held at home in 2015, he shared the lead in wickets taken, and in the 2019 tournament held in England, he took the most.

Starc is an effective wicket-taker for Australia in the limited format as well, having claimed 74 wickets at an economy of 7.67 and a strike rate of 18.2 in 60 games. In 133 T20 innings, Starc has claimed 183 wickets overall, with a bowling strike rate of 15.9 which places him in the top of the format.

Along with nearly every award with the Australian squad, the left-arm fast now holds the Kolkata Knight Riders 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) championship.

In international competitions, Starc frequently goes unnoticed throughout the group stages before exploding during the knockout stages. using the opposition’s top batter as a goal to help the Australians cross the finish line

Shaheen Shah Afridi: The Pakistani Pace Prodigy

One of the most dangerous bowlers in the game, Shaheen Shah Afridi is a left-arm fast bowler who has claimed 88 wickets in just 64 Twenty20 International innings. Afridi poses a threat with the new ball, having claimed 15 wickets in the opening over.

In T20I cricket, Shaheen Shah Afridi’s ability to take wickets is evident. In just 64 appearances, he has amassed 88 wickets for Pakistan with a strike rate of 15.8, which is among the highest of all time! Right-handers should fear Afridi, as he has taken 71 of his 88 wickets in international cricket against them.

 Against RHB, he had an incredible strike rate of 13.9. Afridi’s threat with the new ball is demonstrated by the 15 wickets he took in the first over. With 24 dismissals in 12 games this year at a strike rate of 10.5 he has also been in excellent form.

 Afridi led Pakistan to the 2022 T20i World Cup final with his brilliance with the ball.

 In Australia; in seven games, he returned with 11 wickets at an economy of 6.15.

Afridi has also been a sensation in the PSL, as he led the Lahore Qalandars to victory in the 2023 championship game as Player of the Match. In 2024 as well, he led them in wicket-taking.

Also Read: The Most Impactful T20I Innings Of Last Decade.

TRENT BOULT (NEW ZEALAND)

Trent Boult, one of the world’s top newball bowlers in white-ball cricket, has 97 dismissals at an economy rate of 7.2, making him the fourth-highest wicket-taker in T20 cricket history during the powerplay.

 Throughout his T20 career, he has also demonstrated a rare ability to take wickets in the first over, returning with 35 wickets at an economy rate of 5.8 from the first six deliveries of his spell.

Boult collected 25 wickets with a strike rate of 13.7, which was a major factor in the Mumbai Indians’ historic victory in the 2020 IPL.

 During the first half of the Rajasthan Royals’ campaign this season, when they dominated the tournament, he was excellent with the new ball. Boult, who finished as the third-highest wicket-taker with 16 wickets in 12 matches, was instrumental in leading MI Emirates to victory at the 2024 ILT20 in the United Arab Emirates.

Throughout his 57 T20I matches for New Zealand, Boult has claimed 74 wickets. During the 2021 T20i World Cup in the UAE, he was in outstanding form, taking 13 wickets in just seven matches at a strike rate of 12.7 and an economy of 6.25. He played an important role in taking New Zealand to the final

Jasprit Bumrah: The Indian Bowling Sensation

Many people consider Jasprit Bumrah to be among the world’s top limited-overs bowlers. Bumrah is an important player for India as he is both a restrictor and a wicket-taker, having amassed 74 wickets in 61 T20I innings.

Irrespective of the rankings, Jasprit Bumrah is the world’s top limited-overs bowler and will present a formidable obstacle to the opposing batsmen when the new ball is introduced. In T20I cricket, he has taken 74 wickets with a strike rate of 17.9 and an average of 19.66 in 61 innings. 

Bumrah is an exceptional wicket-taker in the format and a fantastic restrictor. Out of all pacers who have taken at least 50 wickets, his economy rate of 6.55 is the best. Bumrah is excellent toward the end of the game with his deadly yorkers and an economy of only 7.1, the lowest of any pacer who has bowled at least 20 overs in the powerplay. He gives just 6.3 runs per over.

During the current IPL season, Bumrah has been in absolutely devastating form with the ball. With 20 wickets at a strike rate of 15.5 and an economy of 6.48 in 13 matches, he is, by far, the most impact bowler of the competition

At the 2021 T20i World Cup in the UAE, Bumrah made a comeback with seven wickets in five games, averaging 13.6 and generating 5.08 economy.

Jasprit Bumrah is perhaps the best fast bowler in all three forms of the game, therefore if India wants to win the trophy, he must stay healthy and in form.

Jofra Archer: The English Pace Ace

Jofra Archer is an uncommon asset in international cricket as a pace bowler, capable of hitting above 145 kph. In 13 IPL 2024 matches, Archer has taken 20 wickets, proving that he is back to his best.

Jofra Archer, a gunslinger, has returned to the England squad following an extended and excruciating time away due to a variety of injuries.

Being the only player in the English attack capable of hitting over 145 kph, the fast bowler makes all the difference.

In the previous year’s 50-year World Cup, England lacked a player who could open up the game due to Archer’s absence, but he is back and eager to return to the top.

Also Read: