Women’s T20 WC 2023: Most wickets in tournament
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 ended with Australia lifting the famous trophy on record sixth time on Sunday (February 26). The world no.1 team beat tournament hosts South Africa in the final in Cape Town to earn their third successive T20 World Cup title.
The eighth edition of the tournament proved a platform for record creators and breakers. South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt smashed three consecutive fifties to finish as the leading run-getter in the tournament with 230 runs from six innings with Beth Mooney and Natalie Sciver-Brunt also scoring 200-plus runs. Pakistan’s star opener Muneeba Ali smashed 102 runs against Ireland to register an only century in this tournament.
However, bowlers also left a big mark in this tournament with a few big records for themselves. Pakistan’s veteran spin all-rounder Nida Dar took five wickets to become the leading wicket-taker in T20Is while South African speedster Shabnim Ismail bagged eight wickets to become the joint-leading wicket-taker in Women’s T20 World Cup tournaments.
The world no.1 T20I all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner won the Player of the Tournament for scoring 110 runs and taking 10 wickets to continue her dominance. However, two more bowlers managed to get ten or more wickets in the tournament. So, let’s find out top three bowlers with most wickets in ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023:
3. 9 wickets – Marizanne Kapp
Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Britts shone with the bat in South Africa’s maiden run to the World Cup final. But star all-rounder Marizanne Kapp equally contributed with nine wickets, including two in the final, from six innings at an average of 15.44.
2. 10 wickets – Megan Schutt & Ashleigh Gardner
Megan Schutt, the leading wicket-taker in the last two editions of the tournament, missed out on a hat-trick of the distinction. She took 10 wickets from six innings at an average of 13.50 and is now just two wickets behind Nida Dar’s record for most wickets in T20Is (126 wickets).
Apart from her impressive contribution with a bat, Ashleigh Gardner took 10 wickets from six innings at an average of 12.50. She was among the only two players to scalp a five-wicket haul in the tournament when she took 5/12 against New Zealand in Australia’s opening game.
1. 11 wickets – Sophie Ecclestone
The world no.1 T20I bowler enjoyed another great tournament despite England’s failure to reach the finals. Ecclestone topped the bowling chart with 11 wickets from five innings at an unbelievable average of 7.54 and an economy rate of 4.15. She bowled three three-wicket spells against three teams, including her best 3/13 against Ireland in the Group 2 fixture.