Top 5 Bowling Performances in T20I in 2023

T20 cricket has been one of the most exciting formats of the game over the years. Since its inclusion in 2005, the game has developed more and more over the passage of time. Australia won the first-ever match in the historic encounter against  New Zealand, setting the stage for the rapid growth and popularity of T20 cricket worldwide. The game has witnessed breathtaking duels between bat and ball, where bowlers have showcased their ability to adapt to the different strategies of the batters. 

In the shortest format of the game, where the batters has the upper hand over the bowler, where the boundaries flow freely and sixes galore during the game. The bowler's role becomes important in the game as they do not have any margin for error during their spell as it might get dispatched into the stands. 

Bowlers do not get the credit even if they perform well in a match as their performance gets overshadowed by the batter's excellent display of stroke playing. The role of the bowlers in the T20I format is equally important as the batters and in the article, we will be looking at the top bowling performances in the year 2023. 

Here are the top 5 bowling performances in T20Is of 2023 

5. 5/26 by Adam Milne vs Sri Lanka 

Adam Milne picked up his maiden international five-wicket bag during the 2nd T20I game against Sri Lanka. This was his comeback match after a prolonged injury he suffered and Milne performed sensationally as he rattled the top-order and the lower-order as well.

The Lankans were bowled out for 141 runs and the Kiwis won the match by nine wickets, this helped in levelling the three-match T20I series and helped to take the game in the final match of the series for a decider. In the process, he picked the wickets of Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Kusal Perera, Pramod Madushan and Dilshan Madushanka. 

4. 5/25 by Tim Southee vs UAE 

UAE faced New Zealand for the first time in a T20I game. The match was played in Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Blackcaps defeated the hosts by 19 runs. New Zealand skipper Tim Southee played a significant role in his team’s victory. The veteran pacer picked a brilliant fifer and changed the game for his side. This was his 2nd fifer in the T20I format. The players who became the victims were Muhammad Waseem, Vriitya Aravind, Basil Hameed, Aayan Khan and Junaid Siddique. 

3. 5/22 by Shakib Al Hasan vs Ireland

Bangladesh was playing Ireland in a three-match T20I series. During the 2nd game of the series, Bangladesh scored a big score of 202 runs. While chasing the Irish players were webbed by captain Shakib Al Hasan who wreaked havoc during their run chase. Within his 3 overs single-handedly sent half of the Ireland team back to the pavilion. Ireland had lost 6 wickets for just 43 runs, 5 of which were taken by Shakib. The star all-rounder spent only 14 runs in 3 overs and took 5 wickets. 

2. 5/17 by Kuldeep Yadav vs South Africa 

Kuldeep Yadav, on December 14, became only the second Indian bowler to pick up more than one five-wicket haul in T20Is. It was his 2nd fifer in the shortest format of the game. Kuldeep achieved the milestone in the third and final T20I at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.

He finished with figures of 2.5-0-17-5 as India beat South Africa by 106 runs to finish the series 1-1. The wrist-spinner got the wickets of David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger and Lizaad Williams as India bowled the Proteas out for 95. It was also special for Kuldeep for the reason that it came on his birthday. 

1. 5/13 by Bradley Currie vs Ireland

Scotland met Ireland in the qualifiers of the Men's T20 World Cup Europe Region Qualifier. The Scottish team won a high-scoring thriller against the Test-playing nation. Ireland lost the match by just 8 runs while chasing a target of 214 runs, as Mark Adair's 72-run heroics could not help the team to seal the victory. The Scottish left-arm pacer Bradley Currie was the hero for his side as the speedster picked five wickets in the game giving out just 13 runs in his 4-over spells.