Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan holds the record for most dot balls bowled in T20I cricket.

The spinner has bowled a record 922 dot balls in 106 innings while maintaining an economy rate of 6.82.

Shakib, who has the second-most wickets in T20I cricket history, is ahead of Tim Southee, who is second on this list for most dots bowled in T20 Internationals. The New Zealand pacer has bowled 907 dot balls in the 102 innings.

Southee has also bowled the second-highest number of dot balls inside powerplay overs in T20 Internationals with 434 dot balls in 80 innings where he bowled in the opening six overs of a 20-over game.

India's Bhuvneshwar Kumar is third on the list of most dot balls bowled in T20Is. The pacer has bowled 863 dot balls in 83 innings.

Furthermore, Bhuvneshwar is the first and only bowler to have bowled 500 dot balls inside powerplay overs. Speaking of most dots bowled in powerplay overs in a T20I fixture, Bhuvi (IND vs WI, 2014) was the second to register 16 dot balls in his spell during the first six overs of a 20-over game after South Africa’s Lonwabo Tsotsobe (PAK vs SA, 2013).

As far as most dot balls bowled in a T20I innings is concerned, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s best performance with the ball came against UAE in 2016, where he bowled 20 dot balls. 

He shares the Indian record for most dot balls bowled in a T20I innings with Ravindra Jadeja, who bowled 20 dot deliveries against Sri Lanka in 2016.

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi follows Bhuvneshwar on this list. Afridi’s economy rate of 6.63 is the best among the top five bowlers who have bowled the most dot balls in T20I cricket. The spinner is fourth with 830 dot balls in 97 innings.

Lasith Malinga completes the top five list of bowlers with the most dot balls bowled in T20I cricket. The Sri Lankan legend bid adieu to cricket in 2021 and bowled 713 dot balls in 83 innings in his T20I career.

Most dot balls bowled in T20I cricket

Player	Country	Innings	Dot Balls
Shakib Al Hasan	Bangladesh	106	922
Tim Southee	New Zealand	102	907
Bhuvneshwar Kumar	India	83	863
Shahid Afridi	Pakistan	97	830
Lasith Malinga	Sri Lanka	83	713
Mohammad Nabi	Afghanistan	97	702
Mustafizur Rahman	Bangladesh	77	701
Rashid Khan	Afghanistan	74	688
Shadab Khan	Pakistan	78	664
Adil Rashid	England	86	636

 

Featured photo: AFP / RANDY BROOKS

Bhuvneshwar Kumar currently holds the record for the most T20I wickets in powerplay overs. 

In T20 cricket, the first six overs of an innings are the powerplay overs, where only two fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Bowlers have the most difficulty during these six overs as batters usually score the majority of their runs with the help of fours and sixes.

However, there have been a few bowlers who have excelled in not only containing the flow of runs in the powerplay overs but also picked up plenty of wickets.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar's dismissal of opposing captain Andrew Balbirnie in the first Ireland vs India T20I saw him go past former West Indies bowler Samuel Badree and New Zealand star Tim Southee, who have 33 T20I wickets in the powerplay overs.

His 34 T20I wickets in 134 powerplay overs have come in 62 innings, at an economy rate of 5.53.

While Trinidad and Tobago-born leg-spinner Samuel Badree picked 33 T20I wickets in the 121 powerplay overs that he bowled in 50 innings, Kiwi fast bowler Tim Southee has bagged 33 wickets in 68 T20I innings, bowling a total of 129 powerplay overs.

Having made his T20I debut against New Zealand in 2012, Badree has scalped 56 wickets in the 52 T20I matches that he played.

On the other hand, Southee has claimed 111 T20I wickets in 92 matches since making his T20I debut against England in 2008.

Bangladesh star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan features fourth on the list of most T20I wickets in powerplay overs. 

The left-arm spinner has picked 27 T20I wickets in the 83 powerplay overs that he has bowled in 58 innings. Having made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in 2006, Shakib has claimed 119 T20I wickets in 96 matches that he has played so far.

Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh and Australia’s Mitchell Starc are next on the list with 26 T20I wickets each in the powerplay overs.

Hazlewood has bagged 26 wickets in 30 T20I innings, having bowled a total of 69 overs in the powerplay. On the other hand, Mustafizur has taken the same number of wickets in the 78 overs that he bowled in 56 innings. Starc has taken 51 inningsand 99 powerplay overs to reach the mark.

Most T20I wickets in powerplay overs

Bowler	Innings	Overs	Wickets
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India)	62	134.0	34
Samuel Badree (West Indies)	58	121.0	33
Tim Southee (New Zealand)	68	129.0	33
Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)	58	83.0	27
Josh Hazlewood (Australia)	30	69.0	26
Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)	56	78.0	26
Mitchell Starc (Australia)	51	99.0	26

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Featured photo: BCCI

Rashid Khan is the current record holder for fastest to 100 wickets in ODIs.

The Afghanistan spinner achieved the feat in his 44th career match, that came against West Indies in March 2018. Rashid dismissed Shai Hope for 38 off the final ball of his second over to beat the previous record by eight matches.

Australia’s Mitchell Starc is the second bowler to be fastest to 100 wickets in ODIs. The 32-year-old, who played his last ODI match in 2021, took 52 matches to reach triple figures in the 50-overs format in 2016 and would hold the record for two years until Rashid would break the record.

Saqlain Mushtaq held the title of the spinner with the fastest to 100 wickets in ODIs record for over 21 years, having taken his 100th scalp in just 53 games. As a matter of fact, the Pakistan legend is the quickest to 100 ODI wickets in terms of time taken - one year and 225 days.

New Zealand’s Shane Bond and Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman complete the top-five list of players who are the fastest to 100 wickets in ODIs. Both took 54 games to breach the triple-figure mark, with Bond being the earlier of the two.

Among Indian bowlers, Mohammed Shami is the fastest to 100 wickets in ODIs. One of India’s most successful pacers of all time, Shami grabbed his 100th wicket in his 56th career match in 2019 against New Zealand.

Bowling his first over of the contest, Shami dismissed Kiwi opener Martin Guptill for five runs and broke the previous Indian record that Irfan Pathan (59 matches) set in a 2006 India vs Pakistan game at Abu Dhabi.

Fastest to 100 wickets in ODIs

Player	Opponent	Matches taken	Year
Rashid Khan	West Indies	44	2018
Mitchell Starc	Sri Lanka	52	2016
Saqlain Mushtaq	Sri Lanka	53	1997
Shane Bond	England	54	2007
Mustafizur Rahman	Pakistan	54	2019

Author: William Paul

Featured photo: AFP / ISHARA S. KODIKARA

Wicketkeeper-batsman Shreevats Goswami was the first player to win the Indian T20 League Emerging Player of the Year honour. He won the award while representing Team Bangalore in the 2008 edition.

Goswami won the award after scoring 82 runs (including a half-century) followed by four dismissals (two caught, two stumpings) in four matches. He featured for Bangalore in the first three seasons of the Indian T20 League before going on to represent Kolkata, Rajasthan and Hyderabad in the competition.

Rohit Sharma is second on the list of Indian T20 League Emerging Player of the Year awardees. The current Mumbai skipper was given the honour for his pivotal performances in Team Deccan’s charge to win the 2009 edition. Rohit hit 362 runs in 16 matches and grabbed 11 wickets. This was his best return as a part-time bowler.

The likes of Saurabh Tiwary (2010), Iqbal Abdulla (2011) and Mandeep Singh (2012) went on to win the honour in the next three editions.

Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman is the only overseas player to win the Indian T20 League Emerging Player of the Year award. The pacer claimed the honour for his haul of 17 wickets in 16 matches in his debut campaign in 2016. Rahman’s exploits proved handy as his Hyderabad team would go on to win the league title.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, who won the Orange Cap last season, also returned home as the Indian T20 League Emerging Player of the Year. 

The 25-year-old slammed 635 runs at an average of 45.35 in the 2021 edition, with a century and four fifties to his name. He hit a 27-ball 32 in the 2021 final against Kolkata and capped off a fine season with a winners medal.

Indian T20 League Emerging Player of the Year: Complete list

Player	Edition
Shreevats Goswami	2008
Rohit Sharma	2009
Saurabh Tiwary	2010
Iqbal Abdulla	2011
Mandeep Singh	2012
Sanju Samson	2013
Axar Patel	2014
Shreyas Iyer	2015
Mustafizur Rahman	2016
Basil Thampi	2017
Rishabh Pant	2018
Shubman Gill	2019
Devdutt Padikkal	2020
Ruturaj Gaikwad	2021

Author: William Paul

Featured photo: AFP / ISHARA S. KODIKARA

Bangladesh cricket team players Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman will not be given a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in the remainder of the Indian T20 League 2021, the Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan has announced.

While all-rounder Shakib played only three matches for the Eoin Morgan-led Kolkata franchise this season, left-arm pacer Mustafizur featured in all the games for Rajasthan.

Bangladesh have three white-ball series scheduled against Australia, New Zealand, and England during the same window that the rescheduled Indian T20 League will take place.

"It is almost impossible to provide NOC (for Indian T20 League) considering our international commitments. I don't see any chance of giving it (NOC) to them. We have the (T20) World Cup coming up and now every match is important," Nazmul told Ekattor TV, a local Bengali news channel, on Sunday.

Interestingly, the England and Wales Cricket Board has also announced that no english players will feature in the rescheduled Indian T20 League due to a packed schedule. Meanwhile, Australia are yet to make any decision on the availability of their players. BCCI is also said to be negotiating with the West Indies Cricket Board to ensure the availability of Carribean players.

The Indian T20 League 2021 was suspended in the first week of May due to rising cases of COVID-19 within the tournament’s bio-bubble. The BCCI had recently announced that they will complete the rest of the season in UAE in September-October.

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Featured photo: IPL/BCCI

Bangladesh will be eager to secure their maiden series whitewash over Sri Lanka when the teams reconvene for the third and final ODI at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka on Friday, May 28.

The Bangladesh cricket team has taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, and are coming off a 103-run victory in the rain-marred second ODI. The victory meant the Tigers moved to the summit of the ICC Cricket World Cup’s Super League.

The Sri Lanka cricket team, meanwhile, faltered yet again as it couldn’t sustain on the sluggish pitch at Dhaka. The Lankan Lions are likely to test their bench strength and field a changed playing XI, given they have already lost the series.

BAN vs SL fantasy team picks for the third ODI 

Top tip: Best batsmen

Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim’s exploits in the second ODI make him an easy choice as a top batsman for the third BAN vs SL ODI. The 34-year-old has aggregated 209 runs at an average of 104.50 and has been rewarded with 295 fantasy points.

Kusal Perera is favoured as Sri Lanka’s best batsman for the dead rubber on Friday. Despite scoring just 44 runs, the Lankan ODI captain has earned 67 fantasy points and could be a decent pick for fantasy cricket players.

Top tip: Best bowlers

It is a no-brainer why Mustafizur Rahman is the highly-rated bowler for the third BAN vs SL game on Friday. Fantasy cricket owners ought to be aware that ‘Fizz�?has been rewarded with 437 fantasy points, and he will be eager to consolidate his tally of six wickets which have come at the cost of 3.33 runs per over.

Sri Lanka’s Dushmantha Chameera has scalped four wickets in the ongoing ODI series and is rated as the top Lankan bowler to watch out in the third ODI. The 29-year-old, with 25 wickets in 27 ODI games, has earned 141 fantasy points and should be a safe option to consider in your fantasy cricket team.

Top tip: All-rounder

Isuru Udana is pegged as the top all-rounder for this fixture and is one of the players with the most fantasy points to his name. Udana has registered 39 runs and two wickets in the ongoing series and will need to showcase his all-round skills that can propel Sri Lanka to claim a consolation win.

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Featured photo: AFP / Munir Uz Zaman

South Africa pace bowler Dale Steyn‘s absence in the 2021 Indian T20 League serves as a timely blow to the Bangalore team, who now lack the intimidating factor in their ranks.

Steyn, who made his debut for the franchise in 2008 and returned in 2019, endured a horrid season in the 2020 edition as he took a solitary wicket in just three appearances.

As far as his career numbers in the Indian T20 League are concerned, the 37-year-old has featured in 95 matches and has bagged 97 wickets at an economy rate of 6.91. Judging by these figures, one can safely say that Steyn has fared well as a marquee pacer in the T20 extravaganza.

With as many as four Indian pace bowlers on their roster, it is to be seen whether Bangalore opts for a full-fledged overseas pacer or consider a formidable bowling all-rounder.

We identify four potential candidates who could fill the void left behind by Dale Steyn.

Mitchell Starc

T20 stats: Matches 98, Wickets 144, Economy rate 7.16

Australia’s Mitchell Starc has been one of the X-factor bowlers in the T20 circuit, and his unique bowling abilities in the middle and death overs will be an asset for Bangalore in the Indian T20 League 2021.

Starc had last featured in the competition in 2015, where he bagged 20 wickets in 13 matches. The left-arm pacer, whose career stats read as 34 wickets in 27 matches, has opted out of multiple editions due to hectic calendar years.

The 2021 edition could witness the return of Starc in the cash-rich tournament as a like-for-like fast bowling replacement for Dale Steyn, while complementing Sri Lanka’s Isuru Udana as a left-arm bowling option in the Bangalore bowling unit.

Kane Richardson

T20 stats: Matches 117, Wickets 139, Economy rate 7.87

 

 

Kane Richardson, like Mitchell Starc, has made limited appearances in the Indian T20 League but has showcased his worth on his day. The 29-year-old, who was signed by Bangalore in the 2020 auctions, pulled out due to personal reasons but is likely to return to the fold in the upcoming edition.

Richardson was influential in Australia’s rise up to No. 1 in the ICC T20I rankings, claiming 13 wickets in 11 matches. The right-arm fast-medium bowler has played 14 games in the Indian T20 League, scalping 18 wickets at an economy rate of 8.38, and stands out as one of the preferred choices to replace Steyn, given the Aussie is familiar with the team’s bowling prowess.

Mustafizur Rahman

T20 stats: Matches 121, Wickets 162, Economy rate 7.23

Mustafizur Rahman is fondly remembered as the first overseas player to win the ‘Emerging Player of the Tournament�?award, and also his impactful performance of 17 wickets in 16 games that propelled Hyderabad to the 2016 title.

The 25-year-old, who has featured in three Indian T20 League campaigns, is greatly revered for his ability to soak in the pressure well and bowl off-cutters that keep batsmen rather unsettled.

While injuries have plagued his career, Mustafizur has bagged 24 scalps in 24 appearances in the T20 extravaganza and eyes a comeback in the 2021 edition, as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) denied him a NOC to participate in the 2020 Indian T20 League.

Kyle Jamieson

T20 stats: Matches 33, Wickets 49, Economy rate 7.96

New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson is the only fresh face in our list of candidates to replace Dale Steyn, and considering the potential he carries, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Bangalore splashes out a hefty amount to sign the 26-year-old.

Jamieson was one of the breakthrough stars in 2020, mostly in the Test format, but his bowling variations and ability to handle pressure situations has earmarked him as a potential matchwinner.

The Auckland-born all-rounder is yet to feature in the Indian T20 League, and amongst the list of potential destinations, Bangalore seems to be a perfect hub to kick off his journey. Like Steyn, Jamieson imposes his authority in the death overs and his towering physique will play a role in generating bounce and pitch-perfect bowling lengths.

Kyle Jamieson’s 6/7 in a 2019 Super Smash fixture for Canterbury is one of the most remarkable bowling performances in T20 cricket, and Indian cricket fans will expect the Kiwi international to showcase his tenacity as a replacement for Dale Steyn at Bangalore.

Feature Image Courtesy: AFP / Marty Melville

13 years ago, one queer spell in the death overs of the inaugural T20 World Cup final won India the crown. Joginder Sharma perhaps defined why T20 qualifies as a completely different ball game on that day. Since then, we have seen some outrageous spells in T20 World Cups.

Here's a look at three of the best.

Ajantha Mendis - 6/8 vs Zimbabwe (2012)

Ajantha Mendis bettered his own record to register the best ever T20I figures in the 2012 T20 World Cup game against Zimbabwe. The Sri Lankan mystery spinner had 183 runs to defend and wrecked Zimbabwe with a rip-roaring spell of six-for-eight.

Read | Four match-winning ODI spells in World Cups

Mendis broke the opening stand in the last over of powerplay and sent back Brendan Taylor on the next ball to take his second wicket. By the end of the 11th over, he had three more. The sixth was completed as he dismissed Elton Chigumbura as Zimbabwe lost all of their first six wickets to deadly Mendis. 

Mustafizur Rahman - 5/22 vs New Zealand (2016)

The 2016 World Cup in India saw some exciting spells from pacers and spinners alike. At Kolkata, Mustafizur Rahman gave Bangladesh a fighting chance as he snared a five-for-22 to bowl New Zealand out for 145. Mustafizur dismissed Henry Nicholls and Kane Williamson, the first two wickets to fall, and later returned to clean up New Zealand's lower middle-order and finish with a five-wicket haul.

However, Bangladesh messed up the run-chase and were bowled out for 70 in pursuit of the target.

Mitchell Santner - 4/11 vs India (2016)

The opening game of the 2016 T20 World Cup was a humdinger between India and New Zealand at Nagpur. With just 126 on board, the Kiwis seemed well on course for a heavy defeat.

Read | Top three outstanding Test knocks by Steve Smith

However, on a slow Nagpur track, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi spun a web around the Indians. Santner sent back Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina in the same over (the third over of the innings) to cripple India's start. Later as Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni looked to resurrect the innings, the left-arm spinner sent back Pandya. He later dismissed Dhoni too to finish with spectacular figures of 4 for 11 in his spell.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Money Sharma

In the first two parts of our series, we looked at the best openers and middle-order batsmen in T20Is since the last T20 World Cup in 2016. Here, we will take a look at the top five pacers during this period (filter: only players from the teams featuring in the T20 World Cup 2020 are considered).

Kesrick Williams (41 wickets)

The Caribbean pacer is the highest wicket-taker in T20 internationals since the last edition of the World Cup. Williams has played 25 matches since then and has taken 41 wickets at an excellent average and strike-rate of 18.82 and 13.1 respectively. 

He is not someone who bowls at express pace, but his variations are quite defective and thus help him to pick up wickets in clusters. Williams is a death-overs specialist and he does the job regularly for West Indies. 

Jasprit Bumrah (40 wickets)

The Indian speedster has the second most number of wickets during this period. Bumrah has picked up 40 wickets in a total of 34 matches during this timeline, and he has done that at an excellent average of 19.97 and an equally good strike-rate of 17.9. 

His economy of 6.67 during this tenure has been absolutely fabulous as well. Bumrah is a death-overs specialist like Williams but unlike him, the Indian bowls at an express pace and can land toe-crushing yorkers as well.

Chris Jordan (40 Wickets)

He had played a major role during England's run to the final of the 2016 World T20 and is England's leading wicket-taker in the shortest format since then as well. Jordan has picked up equal number of wickets as Bumrah since that mega-event, but he has done that in fewer matches (29). The Englishman is quite similar to Bumrah in terms of skills as he can bowl at a high pace and can deliver good yorkers too. However, his wickets have come at a much higher economy rate (8.70) than that of Bumrah, though his strike-rate of 15.3 has been much better than that of the Indian.

Bilal Khan (37 Wickets)

He might not be the most popular name in cricket, but the Omani international has been one of the best pacers during this period. Bilal's 37 wickets have come in 23 matches at an outstanding strike-rate and economy rate of 13.1 and 6.74 respectively. His skills might seem to be very limited as he neither has a high pace nor does he bowl consistent yorkers, but his strength lies in his tight lines and hard lengths, mixed with the odd variations of pace from time to time. So he is a street-smart operator.

Mustafizur Rahman (36 Wickets)

The left-arm pacer from Bangladesh is the fifth-highest wicket-taker during this period. Mustafizur doesn't have the best economy rate (8.94) but he has done very well as a wicket-taker. His 36 wickets have come in a total of 28 matches at an excellent strike-rate of 16.4. Mustafizur is someone who can be dangerous both with the new ball and at the death.

Ahead of Bangladesh’s tour to Pakistan, pacer Mustafizur Rahman posted a cryptic message on Twitter, asking the fans to remember them ‘in your prayers�?

Bangladesh are to play three T20Is (January 24-27) in Lahore, two Tests in Rawalpindi and Karachi and a one-off ODI, and the team headed to Pakistan on Wednesday. Posting a selfie with his teammates from the airport on Twitter, the 24-year-old captioned, “Heading to Pakistan. Remember us in your prayers.

Heading to Pakistan. Remember us in your prayers. #PAKvBAN pic.twitter.com/7l85XfFUWM

�?Mustafizur Rahman (@Mustafiz90) January 22, 2020

Bangladesh were initially reluctant on playing in Pakistan, but the tour was decided after the officials from both the cricket boards met in Dubai.

Senior player like Mushfiqur Rahim pulled out of the tour citing that his family is concerned about security in Pakistan. “My family is concerned with me travelling to Pakistan. Keeping them in a worry I do not have the mentality to go and play in Pakistan,�?said Rahim.

“It was a tough decision for me [to opt out of the series]. But one needs to understand the fact that I even decided to not be part of PSL [Pakistan Super League] because that is to be played in Pakistan. My family is not permitting me. Life is never ahead of cricket,�?he added.

Following that, five members of Bangladesh’s coaching staff also refused to be a part of the travelling team.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have taken some serious security measures for the tour, with an official from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirming that a Bangladesh National Security Agency would reach Lahore on Wednesday.

Bangladesh’s last tour to Pakistan came way back in the 2008 edition of the Asia Cup, and since then, as many as two tours have been canceled due to security reasons.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Dibyangshu Sarkar