Afghanistan's Rashid Khan leads leg-spinners' T20I domination

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  • Rashid Khan is the leading T20I bowler in the world.

    Leg-spinner Rashid Khan was once again the star of the show as Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by 45 runs in first T20I in Dehradun on Sunday.

    The 19-year-old finished with figures of 3-13 from his three overs to hand the Afghans a 1-0 lead in the series. Rashid’s excellent display is the latest in a growing purple patch for leg-spinners in limited-overs cricket.

    Once considered to be expendable in limited-overs cricket due to their propensity to leak runs, leg-spinners are now topping the ranking charts. The top five spots in the ICC T20I rankings are currently occupied by leg-spinners. Here, we take a look at these five bowlers.

    5. SAMUEL BADREE (WEST INDIES)

    The 37-year-old leg-spinner has been a mainstay of the West Indies T20I squad for some years now. Badree’s ability to bowl with supreme control during the powerplay has been his calling card.

    The leg-spinner is a veteran of various T20 franchise leagues around the globe and has made 49 appearances for the West Indies. He is one of the trickiest customers to score runs against with an economy-rate of just 6.05.

    Badree has always been highly economical.

    Badree has always been economical.

    4. ISH SODHI (NEW ZEALAND)

    Ish Sodhi is another leg-spinner who has grown in stature in limited-overs cricket over the last few years. The India-born spinner recently made a huge impact for Rajasthan Royals in his maiden IPL stint after showing that same consistency with New Zealand.

    The 25-year-old has a habit of picking up wickets in heaps with an average of 19.33 and a strike-rate of 15.60 in T20I cricket.

    Sodhi had an excellent maiden IPL with Rajasthan Royals.

    Sodhi had an excellent maiden IPL with Rajasthan Royals.

    3. YUZVENDRA CHAHAL (INDIA)

    Yuzvendra Chahal rose to prominence with the IPL and he has cemented his position in India’s limited-overs setup in no time. The 27-year-old’s lethal partnership with fellow wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has displaced India’s veteran spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja from the white-ball squad.

    Chahal has picked up 35 wickets in just 21 T20I matches for India including a best of 6-25 against England.

    Chahal has established himsel in India's limited-overs setup.

    Chahal has established himself in India’s limited-overs setup.

    2. SHADAB KHAN (PAKISTAN)

    At just 19 years of age, Shadab Khan has already played 16 T20Is and 17 ODIs for Pakistan. The leg-spinner has enjoyed a meteoric rise since being handed his debut against the West Indies last year.

    Shadab has managed to pick up his 24 wickets in T20I cricket at an astonishing average of 15.41 and a miserly economy-rate of just 6.28. Possesses an excellent googly in his arsenal to bamboozle the best of the batsmen.

    Shadab Khan had an excellent 2017 for Pakistan.

    Shadab Khan had an excellent 2017 for Pakistan.

    1. RASHID KHAN (AFGHANISTAN)

    The 19-year-old has been a breath of fresh air in the world of cricket. With 44 ODIs and 31 T20Is already under his belt, the teenager has a wealth of experience in limited-overs cricket and he has been in demand in all T20 leagues around the world.

    Rashid’s record at the T20I level is incredible, with his 52 wickets coming at an astonishing average of just 13.57 and an economy-rate of 6.03.

    Rashid Khan has taken T20 cricket by storm.

    Rashid Khan has taken T20 cricket by storm.

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