In 2023, even though it was a year for the fifty-over World Cup, T20 cricket kept growing in popularity. There were 451 T20 International (T20I) matches played, including those by smaller cricketing nations.

Cricket fans enjoyed an exciting year, especially in T20 matches. While batters dominated this fast-paced format, bowlers also made a big impact with their performances. There were 28 instances where a bowler took five wickets in a match, including the best-ever bowling spell in T20I history.

Let’s look at the five best bowling performances of 2023

5. Haris Rauf- 4/18 vs New Zealand at Lahore, April 2023

Mitchell Santner, acting as New Zealand’s temporary captain, ended 2023 with an excellent performance in slow left-arm bowling, taking four key wickets against Bangladesh. His skillful and deceptive bowling helped New Zealand tie the three-match series 1-1.

Bangladesh batted first but struggled, losing wickets regularly.

Tim Southee, Ben Sears, and Adam Milne took three early wickets, and then Santner and Ish Sodhi’s spin bowling completely unsettled the Bangladeshi batters, eventually dismissing them for 110 runs in the final over.

Santner cleverly varied his bowling speed and benefited from the pitch conditions. Towhid Hridoy and Afif Hossain, who were trying to increase the score for Bangladesh, lost their wickets to Santner, setting Bangladesh further back.

Santner was named Player of the Match for his outstanding all-round performance. New Zealand won the game by 17 runs using the DLS method.

1. Kuldeep Yadav- 5/17 vs South Africa at Johannesburg, December 2023

Kuldeep Yadav, one of the best wrist spinners in white-ball cricket, continued to impress in South Africa, taking five wickets in the 3rd T20I match. He finished with outstanding figures of 5/17, helping India bowl out South Africa for just 95 runs.

India’s innings was boosted by a brilliant century from captain Suryakumar Yadav, who scored his fourth T20I century. Thanks to his high-quality batting, India posted a strong total of 201 runs in their 20 overs after being asked to bat first.

South Africa lost wickets regularly, and despite keeping a good run rate, they were always behind. This set the stage for Kuldeep Yadav, who took four wickets in just seven balls during a remarkable spell. His performance included taking the wicket of David Miller, who was looking dangerous. India won by a huge margin of 106 runs, tying the series 1-1.

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