Here’s a look at the bowlers who’ve taken the fewest matches, time, and balls to pick up 50 wickets in T20I cricket.
Fastest to 50 T20I Wickets
| Player | Team | Matches to 50 Wickets | Time Taken | Bowl Avg After 50 Wickets | Bowl SR After 50 Wickets | Date Achieved On |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dhruvkumar Maisuria | Botswana | 22 | 4y 8d | 7.66 | 8.84 | 29 May 2023 |
| Syazrul Idrus | Malaysia | 25 | 3y 302d | 11.32 | 10.16 | 30 Jul 2023 |
| Ajantha Mendis | Sri Lanka | 26 | 3y 360d | 11.37 | 11.65 | 4 Oct 2012 |
| Mark Adair | Ireland | 28 | 2y 100d | 14.30 | 12.46 | 20 Oct 2021 |
| Alpesh Ramjani | Uganda | 28 | 1y 73d | 9.55 | 11.27 | 27 Nov 2023 |
| Hernan Fennell | Argentina | 28 | 5y 74d | 11.20 | 11.34 | 16 Dec 2024 |
| Sandeep Lamichhane | Nepal | 29 | 3y 259d | 14.48 | 12.82 | 14 Feb 2022 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | India | 30 | 6y 30d | 14.28 | 12.78 | 8 Aug 2023 |
| Moazzam Baig | Malawi | 30 | 4y 42d | 10.88 | 12.36 | 18 Dec 2023 |
| Rizwan Butt | Bahrain | 30 | 1y 116d | 15.29 | 12.80 | 9 Mar 2024 |
| Usman Najeeb | Saudi Arabia | 30 | 2y 34d | 17.12 | 13.10 | 19 Dec 2024 |
Fastest to every 50X T20I Wickets
Key Insights on the Fastest Bowlers to 50 Wickets in T20 International Cricket
Overall and Pace Record Holders for 50 T20I Wickets
Botswana’s Dhruvkumar Maisuria is the fastest bowler to take 50 wickets in T20I cricket, reaching the landmark in 22 matches.
Maisuria is also the quickest to 50 T20I wickets by balls bowled, achieving the milestone in 440 balls.
Malaysia’s Syazrul Idrus is the fastest pacer to pick up 50 T20I wickets, requiring 25 matches.
Full Member Nations: Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka) previously held the overall world record and remains the fastest from a Full Member nation, reaching the mark in 26 matches.
India’s Record: The fastest Indian bowler to 50 T20I wickets is Kuldeep Yadav in 30 matches (superseding R. Ashwin’s previous 42 matches).
Bowling Efficiency and Historic Milestones
Maisuria maintained a bowling average of 7.66 after picking up his 50th T20I scalp, which is the lowest by any bowler after crossing the milestone.
Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi was the first bowler to grab 50 wickets in T20Is, achieving the feat in 42 matches in December 2010.
Afridi is also the first player to achieve the T20I double of 1000 runs and 50 wickets. Afridi also features in the list of players with over 5000 runs and 500 wickets across all formats.
Time and Longevity Records for Reaching the Mark
Tanzania’s Yalinde Nkanya needed 345 days to pick up 50 T20I wickets, the shortest time taken by any bowler to attain the milestone.
South Africa’s Wayne Parnell is the slowest bowler by time to take 50 T20I wickets, taking 13 years and 204 days (45 matches) after his debut in January 2009. He crossed the 50-wicket mark in the match against Ireland, in which he also picked his maiden five-wicket haul.
West Indies’ Andre Russell (13y 43d) and New Zealand’s Adam Milne (13y 5d) are the other bowlers who needed more than 13 years to pick up their 50th wickets in T20Is.
Captaincy Records in the 50-Wicket Club
Clinton Rubagumya has taken 50+ T20I wickets as captain – the first captain to do so. He claimed his 50th wicket in his 49th T20I match as Rwanda captain.
However, it is Malawi’s Moazzam Baig who is the quickest to grab 50 wickets among captains in T20Is. He took just 30 matches.
