Top 5 best bowling figures for Pakistan in Men's T20Is ft. Sufiyan Muqeem
Pakistan wreaked havoc in the second T20I against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo on Tuesday (December 3) to win the three-match series with a game to spare. After a dominating 57-run victory in the first game, they backed it up with an even more solid performance, winning the second T20I by 10 wickets.
Zimbabwe registered their lowest-ever T20I total as Pakistan's bowlers were all over them, putting up a clinical display with the ball. Batting first, Zimbabwe were skittled out for just 57 runs and it took no time for the visitors to get past the target with utmost ease.
Heading into the final T20I, Zimbabwe will aim to salvage some pride and take away a consolation win while the visitors will look to continue their onslaught and complete a whitewash.
Sufiyan Muqeem, 25, was the star of the show for the visitors with the ball, setting up the victory and the series win as well. That said, let us take a look at the top five best bowling figures for Pakistan in Men's T20Is.
Top 5 best bowling figures for Pakistan in Men's T20Is
#5 Umar Gul - 4/8 vs Australia 2009
Australia faced Pakistan in the only T20I in Dubai in 2009. Led by Misbah-ul-Haq, the Men in Green put up a fabulous display with the ball to bundle out the mighty Australian side for just 108 runs first up.
Pacer Umar Gul led the charge with the ball, bagging four wickets in as many overs while giving away just eight runs. Gul accounted for the wickets of Shane Watson, Marcus North, Nathan Hauritz, and Brett Lee. Kamran Akmal then scored an unbeaten half-century as they chased the target down comfortably with seven wickets to spare.
#4 Imad Wasim - 5/14 vs West Indies 2016
In the first T20I against West Indies in Dubai in 2016, Pakistan put up another memorable performance. Bowling first, they cleaned up the West Indies for just 115 runs.
Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim was the pick of the bowlers, returning with figures of 5/14 from his four overs with an economy-rate of 3.50. Imad had a sensational outing against the star-studded West Indies line-up. His five-wicket haul included the big scalps of Evin Lewis, Andre Fletcher, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, and Carlos Brathwaite.
Sarfaraz Ahmed and his men then made light work of the chase, knocking the target off in just 14.2 overs with nine wickets at their disposal.
#3 Umar Gul - 5/6 vs New Zealand 2009
Umar Gul makes another appearance on the list. Pakistan faced New Zealand in their Group F match of the ICC World T20 in 2009 at The Oval. It was an absolute nightmare for the Kiwis, who could muster only 99 runs after batting first.
Umar Gul ran through the Kiwis with a stunning five-wicket haul. He picked up the wickets of Scott Styris, Peter McGlashan, Nathan McCullum, James Franklin, and Kyle Mills. He ended with figures of 5/6 from three overs with an economy rate of 2.00.
Pakistan ended up winning the game convincingly by six wickets and almost seven overs to spare in the end.
#2 Umar Gul - 5/6 vs South Africa 2013
Among Pakistan's most successful T20I bowlers, Umar Gul makes a third appearance on this list. During their tour to South Africa in 2013, Gul bagged another five-wicket haul in his T20I career.
In the second T20I against South Africa at Centurion, the visitors put up a formidable total of 195/7 after batting first. The Proteas were off to a solid start in the chase despite losing a couple of wickets, with their score reading 50/2 in just 4.2 overs. However, Umar Gul then ran through their middle over to completely derail their chase.
He picked up the wickets of Faf Du Plessis, Chris Morris, Justin Ontong, Farhaan Behardien, and Kyle Abbott towards the backend as South Africa were bowled out for just 100 runs in the end. Gul returned with scintillating figures of 5/6 from just 2.2 overs.
#1 Sufiyan Muqeem - 5/3 vs Zimbabwe 2024
Left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem has emerged as the latest sensation with his brilliant display against Zimbabwe in the second T20I of the ongoing series at Bulawayo.
The 25-year-old recorded the best-ever T20I figures for Pakistan, picking up five wickets while giving away just three runs from his 2.4 overs. He scalped the wickets of Ryan Burl, Clive Madande, Tashinga Musekiwa, Wellington Masakadza, and Richard Ngarava.
The hosts were bowled out for a paltry total of 57 runs. The visitors got over the line in just 5.3 overs with all 10 wickets intact to complete a thoroughly dominating win.