T20 cricket is so much a batsman's game that bowlers are literally at the mercy of the men wielding large chunks of wood, requiring just 60-70m to clear the fence. There is no respite for the bowlers, who can get hit for sixes even off top edges.
Such is the nature of T20 cricket that bowlers can rarely expect a scenario where they go for less than six an over. Batting teams aim for scores above 180 which means that hardly any bowler escapes the stick, however, well they bowl.
That said, there have been certain rare performances, where a bowler has out thought batsmen and used his skills extremely well to plug the run flow completely. Though a rarity, T20 cricket has produced such sparkling performances and it is only right that we divert some of the attention away from batsmen.
Here is a look at the five most economical spells in the history of T20 cricket. (All four overs bowled)
#5 Shoaib Malik (4-2-3-1) - Caribbean Premier League, Aug 2013
Shoaib Malik, the Pakistani all-rounder, produced one of the best bowling displays in the history of T20 cricket in a Caribbean Premier League match between Barbados Tridents and Antigua Hawksbills.
Having finished with a meagre 97 in the allotted 20 overs on a tough wicket in North Sound, Barbados choked the chase with some fine bowling. At the helm of it was Malik, who dismissed Kieron Powell the opener, early on.
Malik went on to bowl two maidens and gave away just three runs in his four overs to create history. His figures read 4-2-3-1 at the end of the game. Despite his herculean effort, Barbados lost the match by five wickets.
#4 Zulfiqur Babar (4-2-3-2) - Faysal Bank T20 Cup, Dec 2012
In a match between Multan Tigers and Quetta Bears in Lahore, the wily left-arm spinner, Zulfiqur Babar returned astonishing figures to set up a huge win for the Tigers.
Batting first, the Bears were bowled out for a meagre 72 as Babar picked up two crucial wickets while giving absolutely nothing away in one of the tidiest spells of the tournament and in the history of T20s. Babar bettered the best economy rate in a T20 game with his stunning display.
He finished with figures pretty similar to what Malik would get next year, 4-2-3-2, although he did pick up an additional wicket. The Bears were too stunned to put up a fight as the Tigers won by 10 wickets.
#3 Mitchell Johnson (4-2-3-3) - Big Bash League, Jan 2017
In the semi-finals of the 2016/17 Big Bash tournament, the retired Aussie seamer, Mitchell Johnson, put in a remarkable bowling display for the Perth Scorchers against Melbourne Stars to guide them to their fifth finals in the Big Bash League.
Johnson picked up two wickets, that of Rob Quiney and Luke Wright, in his first over which turned out to be a maiden. He followed that up with another maiden and conceded his first run only in the 18th ball he bowled.
The left-armer picked up one more wicket, that of long-term rival, Kevin Pietersen, to jump above Shoaib Malik and Zulfiqur Babar on this list. Johnson's terrific spell grounded the Melbourne Stars, who lost by seven wickets.
#2 Chris Morris (4-3-2-2) - Ram Slam T20 Challenge, Nov 2014
The South African all-rounder stunned the Cape Cobras in a brilliant display of seam bowling as he wrecked them with figures of 4-3-2-2. Morris started off with a maiden over before dismissing the dangerous Richard Levi in his next, which was also a maiden.
Morris then returned to the attack in the 18th over by which time the Cobras were 88/6, chasing 142. He conceded his first runs in that over but got yet another wicket. His last over was another maiden as Cobras ended their innings at 94/9.
#1 Chanaka Welegedera (4-2-2-4) - Tamil Union vs Sinhalese Athletic Club, Apr 2015
Sri Lanka's left-arm fast blower, Chanaka Welegedera produced the most brilliant figures in the history of T20 cricket in a club game between Tamil Union and Sinhalese Athletic Club. Defending a total of 142, Tamil Union led by Welegedera, knocked over Sinhalese Club for 97.
Bowling first change, Welegedera picked up two wickets in his first over, that of Minod Bhanuka and Thilina Kandamby. In his next, he had Sachitra Senanayake caught to bag three wickets. He wasn't done though and trapped Jayampathi in front in the eleventh over of the game.
This was the seamer's first four-wicket haul in his T20 career. It turned out to be very similar to Morris', who held the record at that time. Morris had three maidens against Welegedera's two but the Lankan had four scalps to show for.
Welegedera played 2 T20Is, 10 ODIs and 21 Tests for Sri Lanka between 2007 and 2014.
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