Experienced fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has taken 17 wickets in Powerplays at the Men’s T20 World Cup, making him the leading bowler in this key phase of the tournament globally.
The left-arm pacer edges past South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, who has claimed 16 Powerplay wickets, while Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews follows with 15, highlighting the impact of bowlers in the early overs.
New Zealand’s Trent Boult and Tim Southee, England’s Stuart Broad, Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir, and India’s Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah have 14 wickets each in Powerplays.
| Rank | Player | Country | Powerplay Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaheen Shah Afridi | Pakistan | 17 |
| 2 | Kagiso Rabada | South Africa | 16 |
| 3 | Angelo Mathews | Sri Lanka | 15 |
| 4 | Trent Boult | New Zealand | 14 |
| 5 | Stuart Broad | England | 14 |
| 6 | Mohammad Amir | Pakistan | 14 |
| 7 | Tim Southee | New Zealand | 14 |
| 8 | Arshdeep Singh | India | 14 |
| 9 | Jasprit Bumrah | India | 14 |
| 10 | Blessing Muzarabani | Zimbabwe | 14 |
The left-arm pacer’s early strike marks his eighth wicket with a first-ball delivery in T20 World Cups, equalling former Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews’ record for the most such dismissals.
England will need 165 runs to reach the semi-finals after Pakistan posted 164 in their Super Eight match at Pallekele, leaving the chase achievable but requiring disciplined batting and calculated strokeplay.
Pakistan chose to bat first after winning the toss, but their total appeared slightly under-par as the fresh pitch allowed some early freedom. Momentum, however, was lost in the middle overs to England’s spinners.
Babar Azam scored 25 off 24 balls before Jamie Overton dismissed him, while Fakhar Zaman struggled for rhythm and fell to Adil Rashid, exposing Pakistan’s lower middle order to pressure.
Shadab Khan and Usman Khan showed brief flashes of aggression, but wickets fell regularly as Dawson maintained control. Shaheen Afridi avoided a hat-trick ball, leaving Pakistan’s innings without significant late momentum.
England struck early with Jofra Archer dismissing Saim Ayub, Liam Dawson removing Salman Agha, and Jamie Overton trapping Sahibzada Farhan lbw, while occasional misfields still restricted Pakistan to 164.
