Sportskeeda's T20I Bowler of the Year 2015 - counting down from No. 10 to No. 1

The growing emphasis on T20 cricket as another cricketing year approaches its end has been there for everyone to see. And with the 6th edition of the World Twenty20 due to take place in the first half of 2016, things are only going to get better for the shortest format of the game.The year 2015 has seen some excellent performances from players with both bat and ball in T20Is. In a game where batsmen generally call the shots, some of the bowlers have also put up a sterling effort for their respective teams.Let’s catch a glimpse of the top 10 T20I bowlers this year:

#10 Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)

2015 has been quite a year for young Rahman in all formats

MAT	WKTS	AVE	ECON	BEST
5	6	18.66	5.74	2/16

The Bangladeshi pacer has been one of the shining new stars in the world of cricket, who has made an impact across all formats. Apart from being superb in the ODIs, young Mustafizur Rahman has also made a great impact in the T20I format.

With 6 wickets in 5 matches and a stunning economy of 5.74, he looks to be built to excel in limited overs cricket. He picked up the important wickets of the dangerous Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez during his best bowling performance of 2 for 16 as Bangladesh thrashed Pakistan in a one-off T20 match.

Mustafizur Rahman may turn out to be the greatest threat for batsmen at the 2016 World Twenty20.

#9 Imad Wasim (Pakistan)

The left-arm spinner has made quite a start in his T20I career

MAT	WKTS	AVE	ECON	BEST
5	6	11.33	4.85	4/11

Pakistan’s newest spin-bowling recruit Imad Wasim has already made a name for himself in the 5 T20Is that he has played. The most staggering stat in his brief bowling career so far has been the outstandingly low economy rate of 4.85. His bowling average of just 11.33 is also highly impressive.

His best bowling performance of 4 for 11 won him the man-of-the-match award in a T20 encounter against Zimbabwe. Although it may still be early days in his career, Imad Wasim could well be a superstar for Pakistan in the future.

#8 Shoaib Malik (Pakistan)

Shoaib Malik is enjoying his last few years in international cricket

MAT	WKTS	AVE	ECON	BEST
8	7	15.28	6.29	2/16

Although he may have picked up 7 wickets in 8 T20Is this year, Shoaib Malik is still among the top T20 bowlers this year purely because of how economical he has been with the ball. Malik has given his runs only at 6.29, which is considered to be more than ideal in the T20 format.

The Pakistani off spinner’s best figures of 2 for 16 contributed to his team’s victory over Sri Laka in a T20I match. Despite having played nearly 15 years of international cricket so far, Shoaib Malik still has enough gas in the tank to keep carrying on for his country in limited-overs cricket.

#7 Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)

Rabada has been mighty impressive ever since he arrived at the international cricket scene

MAT	WKTS	AVE	ECON	BEST
6	8	21.87	7.60	3/30

Kagiso Rabada has been one of the brightest young stars to emerge on the world cricketing scene this year. Although he has been known more for his exploits in the 50-over game, he has been pretty good in the T20I format too. So far, Rabada has picked up 8 wickets in 6 games at an average of 21.87 and an economy rate of 7.60.

His 4 wickets in a 2-match T20I series against Bangladesh brought him into prominence as he helped the Proteas record a comfortable 2-0 win. Kagiso Rabada’s best bowling figures of 3 for 30, however, came in a losing cause against New Zealand.

Rabada’s raw pace and aggressive approach make him a great future prospect for South Africa.

#6 David Willey (England)

David Willey is the son of famous English umpire Peter Willey

MAT	WKTS	AVE	ECON	BEST
4	8	16.87	9.41	3/22

England’s David Willey has made a sparkling start to his T20I career having picked up 8 wickets in just 4 matches that he has played so far. Despite conceding runs at an economy rate of 9.41, Willey has been successful in picking up early wickets for England which have proved crucial to thier success of late.

The best bowling performance for the young English pacer came on his T20I debut against New Zealand in June this year. David Willey removed Martin Guptill in his very first over and returned to remove the tail ending with figures of 3 for 22 and helping his team succeed.

Willey may prove to be a great addition to a resurgent England side in T20I cricket.

#5 Aaron Phangiso (South Africa)

Aaron Phangiso has had a profitable 2015 in T20I cricket

MAT	WKTS	AVE	ECON	BEST
6	9	19.55	7.65	3/30

South African left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso has been among the better T20I bowlers in the year 2015 thus far. In 6 matches that he has played, Phangiso has grabbed 9 wickets at a good average of a shade under 20. The economy has been slightly high, but it is still very acceptable considering how cruel the shortest format of the game has been to the bowlers.

His top performance in T20Is this year was 3 for 30 against Bangladesh in the second match of a 2-T20I series. Phangiso’s spell aided the Proteas in pushing aside Bangladesh and registering a 2-0 clean sweep in the series.

#4 Sohail Tanvir (Pakistan)

Tanvir was the hero of the inaugural IPL season for champions Rajasthan Royals

MAT	WKTS	AVE	ECON	BEST
8	11	21.90	7.77	3/29

The unorthodox left-armer, Sohail Tanvir, has been a part of Pakistan’s T20 scheme of things for quite a while and is close to getting 50 wickets in his career.

He represented his country for the first time at the inaugural edition of the World Twenty20 and has been around since then. Tanvir also ended up being the highest wicket-taker of the 2008 edition of the Indian Premier League.

The year 2015 as been quite a profitable one for Sohail Tanvir as he has bagged 11 wickets in the 8 matches he has played. Although his economy has been on the higher side at 7.77, he has taken wickets regularly for Pakistan. Tanvir’s good form may be vital to his team’s chances at the 2016 World Twenty20.

#3 Dawlat Zadran (Afghanistan)

The Afghanistan pacer has been more than impressive this year

MAT	WKTS	AVE	ECON	BEST
8	13	17.38	7.29	3/17

Apart an impressive showing at the ODI World Cup this year, Afghanistan paceman Dawlat Zadran has also been quite a handful in the T20 format as well.

Zadran has picked up 13 wickets so far in 8 T20Is played in 2015. Although most of his wickets came against the associate nations, his 5 wickets in the 2-match T20I series against Zimbabwe helped Afghanistan register a clean sweep.

Zadran's best performance, however, came against Netherlands during the World Twenty20 qualifiers when he recorded figures of 3 for 17. His performance ensured a thumping victory for the Afghans and added valuable points to their tally.

#2 Graeme Cremer (Zimbabwe)

Cremer has been Zimbabwe’s premier spinner of late

MAT	WKTS	AVE	ECON	BEST
9	14	15.50	6.57	3/18

2015 has been a more than decent year for Zimabwean leggie Graeme Cremer in terms of his performance in T20Is. He has been highly consistent for his home team and has managed to pick up 14 wickets in 9 games at a good average of 15 and a half.

Cremer’s best bowling figures in T20Is this year of 3 for 18 helped his team register an unlikely victory over the Indian team by 10 runs and level a 2-match series 1-1. The leg spinner, who played his first T20I in 2008, is slowly starting to find his feet with quite a bit of experience under his belt now.

#1 David Wiese (South Africa)

Wiese plays IPL cricket for Royal Challengers Bangalore

MAT	WKTS	AVE	ECON	BEST
7	14	11.78	7.07	5/23

The lanky pacer from South Africa has had a year to cherish so far in T20I cricket. With 14 wickets in his kitty from 7 matches, Wiese has been the highest wicket-taker among bowlers from the Test-playing nations and the second best overall.

His figures of 5 for 23 in a T20I against the West Indies at Durban in January this year are the best by any bowler in T20Is played in 2015. A stunning average of just under 12 and a very acceptable economy rate of 7.07 make David Wiese the top bowler in T20Is this year.

For his deceptively strong bowling and fantastic strike rate, Wiese wins our vote for Sportskeeda’s T20I Bowler of the Year 2015.