Sportskeeda Cricket Awards 2018: T20I Bowler of the Year

We have come a long way from the perception of T20 cricket being the batsmen’s game. Over the years, bowlers have reinvented the wicket-taking ways and have clawed back to regain footing in the 20-over cricket. While all kinds of bowlers have tried best, there’s one breed that has outperformed others.

The wrist spinners ushered in a new era of dominance in T20 cricket with their spin wizardry. Almost every nation at present possesses a leg-spinner who is able to bowl the wrong ones. While the Australian fast bowlers Andrew Tye and Billy Stanlake were two of the top three wicket-takers in 2018, it was the leg-spinners who averaged better than them.

Three Asian spinners, in particular, hogged the limelight this year with their exploits in the shortest format. Here are the top T20I bowlers of 2018.

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#3 Shadab Khan

Shadab Khan

The young all-rounder burst on the scene with his exploits in the Pakistan Super League. It did not take long for Shadab Khan to replicate his form in the national colors. In a span of 35 days, the leg-spinning all-rounder made his debut in all three formats for the nation. In 2018, he was a top performer in white-ball cricket and reaped success in T20Is.

Playing in 19 matches, Shadab Khan picked up 28 wickets in total. He conceded only 17.42 runs per wicket and gave away as little as 6.62 runs per over. The leg-spinner was extremely efficient in delivering his leg breaks and a well-disguised googly. The 20-year old not only chipped in with wickets but tied down the batsmen by not giving away runs.

Shadab ended up wicket-less only two times of 19 outings and conceded more than eight runs per over on only four occasions. He was adjudged the Man of the Match Award twice for his spells of 2/19 and 3/19 in four overs.

Matches: 19, Wickets: 28, Bowling Average: 17.42, Economy-rate: 6.62, Best bowling figures: 3/19

#2 Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav

India continued to back their wrist-spinners to capture wickets in limited-overs cricket. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav were the two spinners who accepted the challenge and delivered with incredible performances. Kuldeep shined in particular as the left-arm wrist spinner snared 21 T20I wickets in nine matches this year.

The spin wizard began his year with stunning spells of 4/21 and 3/16 against Ireland. He followed it up with a magical spell of 5/24 against England at Manchester. Kuldeep’s brilliance brought England down to 117/6 from a position of 95/1.

At home, he troubled Windies with the figures of 3/13 at Kolkata. In Australia, Kuldeep could not pick multiple wickets but stemmed the run-flow with economical bowling. He was named Man of the Match in three of his nine appearances.

Matches: 9, Innings: 9, Wickets: 21, Bowling Average: 9.80, Economy-rate: 5.97, Best bowling figures: 5/24

#1 Rashid Khan - Sportskeeda's T20I Bowler of the Year

Rashid Khan

The leg-spinner from Afghanistan is winning over the world with his incredible bowling. Rashid Khan extended his domination in the year 2018 as well. This was his fourth year in the international cricket, and the batsmen are still to figure out a way to tackle him. The leg-spinner not only made gigantic strides in international cricket but owned the stages in domestic T20 leagues as well.

Rashid Khan finished 2018 with 22 T20I wickets in only eight matches. He averaged only 8.68 runs per wicket while giving away only 6.36 runs per over. The Afghan bowler played eight matches this year and managed to pick up at least one wicket every time he bowled.

He began with a spell of 3/19 and 2/23 against Zimbabwe at Sharjah. In the series against Bangladesh in India, Rashid ended with eight wickets in three matches. His quick-arm action bamboozled the Irish men as the leg-spinner snared seven wickets.

The 20-year old is the number one T20I spinner in the world as per ICC rankings. Rashid is clearly dominating the world scene when it comes to white-ball cricket and is deservedly the T20I bowler of the year.

Matches: 8, Innings: 8, Wickets: 22, Bowling Average: 8.68, Economy-rate: 6.36, Best bowling figures: 4/12