They say T20 cricket is all about batsmen dominating the game but have you ever thought about what if the bowler reduces the team to two or maybe 3 down in the very first Over?
Thrilling to think the same, right? So following are some bowlers who have been doing this thing, taking wickets in the very first over and making these T20i matches even more interesting.
Most Wickets in First Over in T20I Cricket
| Bowlers | Team | Wickets | Innings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bilal Khan | Oman | 22 | 59 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | Pakistan | 22 | 73 |
| Junaid Siddique | UAE | 21 | 54 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | India | 18 | 74 |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | Afghanistan | 16 | 43 |
| Tim Southee | New Zealand | 16 | 55 |
| Ali Dawood | Bahrain | 14 | 35 |
| Angelo Mathews | Sri Lanka | 14 | 39 |
| David Willey | England | 14 | 37 |
| Karan KC | Nepal | 11 | 30 |
Key Insights
Oman’s Bilal Khan became the first bowler to take 20 wickets in the first over in T20I cricket.
Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews and Namibia’s Ruben Trumpelmann have picked up the most first over wickets in a T20I innings. Both took three wickets each against the West Indies and Scotland in 2009 and 2021, respectively.
Bilal and Pavandeep Singh (Malaysia) are the two bowlers with an economy of less than five in the first over in T20Is (minimum 10 wickets taken).
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Bilal, and Shaheen Shah Afridi have bowled more than 200 dot balls in the first over in T20Is. Bhuvi is also among the top 10 bowlers with the most wickets in the opening over in the IPL.
Tim Southee became the first bowler to grab 50 wickets in the powerplay overs in T20I cricket.
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