ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Top 5 wicket-takers this year from the participating nations

The ICC Champions Trophy is set to start on June 1 in England

The Champions Trophy is just a week away and the top eight teams are intensifying their preparations to grab that Trophy presented to the winners on June 18th. The eighth edition of the Champions Trophy hosted by England will see two groups of four play league games before the semi-finals.

There are just 15 games in all meaning that even a single loss could hamper the chances of teams to stay alive in the competition. The pitches in England have yielded bountiful of runs in the past few weeks and the trend should continue into the Champions Trophy. This makes the role of bowlers pivotal to a team’s fortune.

2017 has been the year of leg-spinners and unsurprisingly young Afghanistan boy, Rashid Khan, who racked up a Rs 4 crore deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad, leads the bowling charts for the year with 26 wickets in 10 games. But unfortunately, Afghanistan aren't among the top eight nations in the World and thus, not a part of the Champions Trophy. 

Here, we take a look at the top 5 wicket takers in 2017 from the eight teams that are contesting the event in England.

#5 Imran Tahir (South Africa) - 16 wickets

Imran Tahir's fortunes with the ball will have a big say in South Africa's progress in the tournament

Matches - 11, Wickets - 16, Avg - 29.37, SR - 36.8 BBI - 3/26

The 38-year-old leg-spinner has been South Africa's top wicket taker in 2017 and is a vital factor in their hopes of ending their ICC Trophy drought. Tahir had been phenomenal in the limited overs formats and is the World's no.1 bowler in ODIs and T20s. He has variations up his sleeve and over time has learned to use them to his advantage - making him the skipper's go-to-man. 

In 11 matches this year, Tahir has bagged 16 wickets with his best of 3/26 coming against Sri Lanka in Port Elizabeth. While there is nothing to drool about in the statistics, it is worth pointing out that Tahir has played all of his eleven games in conditions unsuitable for spinners. He played five games each in South Africa and New Zealand and one in England during the time frame.

This makes his feat all the more eye-catching. There is no doubting that Tahir will be South Africa's biggest weapon with the ball in the Champions Trophy.