The year 2023, has been majorly dominated by T20 cricket. We have witnessed loads of runs being scored, and several records being broken and made throughout the year. However, the bowlers have also managed to leave an impactful impression with some exceptional spells this year.
Let’s have a look at the players who were leading the wicket-taking charts in the T20I format this year.
Vaishnave Mahesh (United Arab Emirates):
The 17-year-old Indian-born, spin-bowling all-rounder represents the United Arab Emirates. She became the 6th youngest player to make her international debut when she made her T20I debut for UAE at the tender age of 12 years. She is leading the wicket-taking charts in the T20I format this year. She has single-handedly led the bowling department for the UAE. She has picked up 36 wickets with an impressive strike rate of 13.7 and an average of 10.13 in 23 innings. Her best performance with the ball for the UAE this year came on 4th September 2023 against Bahrain Women when she returned with exceptional match figures (4-0-10-4). Her spell played a crucial role in helping her side clinch a comprehensive 69-run victory over Bahrain in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Region Qualifier.
Concy Aweko (Uganda):
The 32-year-old right-arm off-spinner from Uganda was the stand-out performer with the ball for Uganda as she picked up 35 wickets at an impressive strike rate of 15.4 and an average of 10.11 in 24 innings. Her best performance with the ball came on 15th June 2023 against Rwanda when she returned with the match figures (3-2-2-3) in her spell. She had an impressive outing in the Victoria Women’s T20 series when she picked up 7 wickets in three innings with a strike rate of 9.42 and an average of 5.14. She also impressed with the ball in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Region Qualifier as she picked up 9 wickets at a strike rate of 12.22 and an average of 9.66 in 5 innings.
Kary Chan (Hong Kong):
The 26-year-old Hong Kong skipper Kary Chan led from the front with both bat (288 runs) and ball with her canny left-arm spin. She picked up 35 wickets at a strike rate of 13.5 and an average of 10.80 in 26 innings. Her tally of wickets includes a couple of five-wicket hauls and a four-wicket haul. Her best performance with the ball came on 3rd September 2023 against Kuwait when she returned with her career-best exceptional match figures (3-1-4-5) in her spell. Her 2nd five-wicket haul came on 15th November 2023 against Japan when she returned with the match figures (2.5-0-10-5) in her spell. She also picked up a four-wicket haul against Tanzania when she returned with match figures (4-0-16-4) in her spell. She had a memorable outing in the Women’s T20 Quadrangular Series as she was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 10 wickets to her name at a strike rate of 7.70 and an average of 4.60 in four innings.
Betty Chan (Hong Kong):
The 34-year-old all-rounder combined well with skipper Kary Chan to spin a web over the opponents. She picked up 34 wickets at a strike rate of 14.2 and an average of 9.02 in 23 innings. Her best performance with the ball came on 28th May 2023 against China when she returned with match figures (3-1-5-3) in her spell. Her tally of runs included six three-wicket hauls.
Henriette Ishimwe (Rwanda):
The 20-year-old young pace-bowling all-rounder from Rwanda single-handedly led the bowling attack and was the standout performer for her side with the ball. She picked up 33 wickets at an impressive strike rate of 11.5 and an average of 7 in 21 innings. Her tally of wickets includes 4 four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul. She was the leading wicket-taker for her side in the T20I format this year. Her best performance with the ball came on 31st March 2023 against Cameroon women when she returned with her career-best figures (2.3-1-6-5) in her spell. Her 4 four-wicket hauls came against Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda.