Top 5 T20I Performances in 2017
Unlike last year wherein the Asia Cup was held in Bangladesh and the World T20 took center-stage in India, 2017 did not contain a major T20I tournament. However, there was no shortage of action in the shortest format of the game. Including the contest between New Zealand and West Indies at the Saxton Oval in Nelson on Friday, as many as 64 T20Is took place in the calendar year.
Also Read: 2017 T20I round-up - India's 5 most valuable players of the year
Among those various matches, there were plenty of eye-catching efforts with both bat and ball. Encompassing the two premier departments of the game, let us relive some of the best performances in T20Is in 2017. Needless to say, only those remarkable knocks and captivating spells resulting in winning cause are taken into consideration. The strengths of opponents as well as match situations are also factored into account in order to enumerate the top five performances.
#5 Rashid Khan - 5/3 against Ireland
All of 19 years old, Rashid Khan has already established himself as one of the most dangerous spinners in the current era. 2017 only saw him go from strength to strength across both limited-overs formats. He produced a scarcely believable spell in the second T20I of the 3-match series against Ireland at Greater Noida. Riding on Najeeb Tarakai's 58-ball 90, Afghanistan managed to reach a strong total of 184 from their quota of 20 overs.
Intermittent rain curtailed Ireland's run-chase to 111 from 11 overs. At the end of the seventh over, they were positioned at 68/3 and would have fancied their chances of scoring 43 runs from the last four overs. However, their hopes were razed in a couple of devastating overs from Rashid. Utilising the googly to tremendous effect, the leg-spinner shredded Ireland's batting lineup by notching the quickest five-wicket haul of all time in international cricket. His 5/3 from two overs helped Afghanistan complete a series-sealing 17-run triumph.