3 bowlers who bowled four maidens in a T20 game ft. Lockie Ferguson
Bowling four maiden overs in a Test match is easier for a bowler as compared to a T20 game, where the bowlers only get a maximum of four overs to bowl. Also, in T20 cricket, the batters show a lot more intent to attack as comapred to Test matches.
Given how the boundary sizes have reduced and bat sizes have increased in the modern era of cricket, it is rare to see a bowler bowling even a single maiden over in his spell of four overs. However, some bowlers have managed to do the unthinkable and complete their four-over quota in a T20 game without conceding a single run.
Here's a list of three such bowlers who bowled four maiden overs in a game of T20 cricket.
#1 Lockie Ferguson - 1st bowler to bowl 4 maiden overs in a T20 World Cup game
New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson became the first bowler in T20 World Cup history to bowl four maiden overs in his spell. The right-arm pacer accomplished the feat on Monday while playing against Papua New Guinea at the Brian Lara Stadium.
The conditions were not the best for batting, while the PNG batters did not have much experience of playing top-quality pace bowlers as well. Still, Lockie Ferguson deserves enormous credit for his extraordinary bowling performance. He returned with dream figures of 3/0 in four overs.
Ferguson opened his account by dismissing opposition skipper Assad Vala out caught. He dismissed Charles Amini LBW and then rattled Chad Soper's stumps to complete his three-wicket haul. New Zealand won the match by seven wickets, and Ferguson deservingly received the Player-of-the-Match award.
#2 Saad bin Zafar - 1st bowler to bowl 4 maiden overs in a T20I match
While Lockie Ferguson became the first bowler to bowl four maiden overs in a T20 World Cup game, Canadian captain Saad bin Zafar was the first player in T20Is history to accomplish this feat.
Playing against Panama in the T20 World Cup Qualifier of Americas region in 2021, Saad bowled a dream spell of 2/0 in his four overs. It is pertinent to note that the pitch was good for batting as Canada scored 245 runs. However, Panama could not tackle Saad's left-arm spin. His two victims were Dineshbhai Ahir and Mohamad Patel. Panama were bowled out for just 37 as they suffered a 208-run loss.
#3 Akshay Karnewar - 1st bowler to bowl 4 maiden overs in a T20 game
The first bowler to achieve this feat in any T20 game was Vidarbha's Akshay Karnewar. He is one of the few bowlers who can bowl right-arm off-spin as well as left-arm spin.
Playing against Manipur in a T20 game in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 in Mangalagiri, Karnewar did not concede even a single run in his four-over spell. Vidarbha had to defend a 223-run target, and they bowled their opponents out for just 55.
Karnewar picked up the wickets of Johnson Singh and Sanatombaroy Laiphangbam to finish with figures of 2/0. He is the only Indian to have achieved this feat in a T20 game.