The 2022 Twenty20 World Cup was a fine blend of powerful hitting and skillful bowling as hosts Australia produced true wickets for the eighth edition of the mega event. Alongside eye-catching batting displays, there were some memorable bowling spells on show, giving the world event a fine balance between bat and ball. Here are the top five bowling performances from the competition:
Sam Curran 3/12 against Pakistan in final at MCG
England all-rounder Curran's career-best 5/10 against Afghanistan earned him the man of the match award. But the left-arm swing bowler showed his best performance with the ball in the final against Pakistan at Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of a massive Pakistan crowd.
When openers Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam put on a good stand, and started accelerating the run-rate, Curran took the important wicket of Rizwan to break the partnership at a crucial stage. Later he went on to dismiss Shan Masood, Pakistan's top-scorer, and Mohammad Nawaz to finish with figure of 3/12 in four overs. Given the heat of the moment, it was one of the most incredible bowling spells as he conceded only three and four runs in the 17th and 19th over respectively.
Brandon Glover 3/9 against South Africa at Adelaide Oval
The Netherlands produced the biggest upset in the tournament against South Africa, and the shocking result brought a massive change in the equation of the last four. The Proteas were set to take a semi-final spot and knock Pakistan and Bangladesh out of the tournament on the final day of the Super 12 round in Group 2. But the Dutch exhibited a brilliant all-round display that sent the Proteas packing instead.
The star performer with the ball for the Netherlands against a formidable middle-order was Brandon Glover, who took three vital wickets from two overs. The spell was key behind the victory. Those wickets were that of Rilee Rossouw - one of only two centurions at the 2022 T20 World Cup – the dangerous David Miller and Wayne Parnell.
Lungi Ngidi 4/29 against India at Perth Stadium
The South African seamer Ngidi produced one of the best spells of the tournament in the clash against India. India elected to bat first on a good pitch and made a cautious start, putting on 21 runs on the board when Ngidi came to the attack. The tall right-arm pacer made an instant impact, removing both the Indian openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in his very first over.
In the seventh over, he took another big wicket, the in-form Virat Kohli, after Kohli hit two boundaries. Three big names from the top-order and he later returned after the powerplay to dismiss Hardik Pandya, thus denting India's fight significantly.
Anrich Nortje 4/10 against Bangladesh at SCG
South Africa were left frustrated after sharing a point with Zimbabwe as rain spoiled their hopes of a likely win in the first match. The Proteas faced Bangladesh at Sydney Cricket Ground and riding on Rossouw's brilliant century, they scored 205. Surprisingly, Bangladesh had a good start chasing 206 and after two overs the openers were flying on 26 without loss.
But Proteas quick Nortje then unleashed a fiery spell of fast bowling to get rid of both the openers in his very first over and send the opposition on the backfoot. In his second over, Nortje accounted for the wicket of Tigers skipper Shakib al Hasan to take control of the game. Another wicket in the latter stages of the innings gave the right-arm fast bowler figure of 4/10 in 3.3 overs.
Sikandar Raza 3/25 against Pakistan at Perth Stadium
A game-changing spell from Zimbabwe all-rounder Raza paved the way for one of the biggest upsets in the tournament as Pakistan lost by just one run in their nail-biting encounter. Chasing 131, Pakistan were 88/3 in pursuit of 130 when Raza landed a double blow in the 14th over that turned the game on its head.
Raza bagged the wickets of Shadab Khan and Haider Ali off successive deliveries to reduce Pakistan to 88/5. Shan had held the innings together for Pakistan until then, but Raza sent him back to pavilion as well in his next over to pile more pressure on the opponents. Eventually Zimbabwe had the last laugh, giving Group 2 points table an interesting look.
