Sunil Narine completes 550 wickets in T20 cricket: Decoding stats
Veteran mystery spinner Sunil Narine has accomplished a major milestone as he has become the third bowler to complete 550 wickets in the T20 format. The Kolkata Knight Riders star reached the feat with his first wicket against Mumbai Indians in Match 60 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). Narine claimed 1/21 versus MI in a rain-curtailed 16-over contest. KKR won the match.
Why does this story matter?
Narine is among the finest bowlers to have played T20 cricket and his records state the same. The mystery spinner can dry up the run flow alongside picking regular wickets. The southpaw has also made a significant mark in the batting department. He has been at his all-round best in the ongoing IPL 2024 season.
Here are his stellar numbers
Narine touched the 550-wicket mark in 510 games. As mentioned, only Dwayne Bravo (625) and Rashid Khan (574) are ahead of him in terms of T20 wickets. He boasts the best economy rate (6.12) among bowlers with at least 200 wickets in the format. The tally includes 12 four-wicket hauls and a solitary fifer with his best figures being 5/19. His average reads 21.45.
Fourth most appearances in the format
Playing his 510th match, Narine is the fourth-most capped player in the T20 format. Kieron Pollard (660), Bravo (573), and Shoaib Malik (542) are ahead of him in this regard. Andre Russell (494) is closing in on the 500-match landmark in T20 cricket. Hence, four of the top-five spots in this list are occupied by West Indies players.
Here are his IPL numbers
A major chunk of Narine's wickets have come IPL for KKR. His tally of 178 wickets in 174 games is the fourth-most in the competition's history. The spinner's economy rate of 6.70-plus is the best among bowlers with at least 70 IPL wickets. Narine owns the most four-wicket hauls in IPL (8). He has raced to 15 scalps in the ongoing season (ER: 6.63).
Second-highest wicket-taker in CPL
It must be noted that Narine is the second-highest wicket-taker in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). His tally of 111 wickets in 106 games is second to that of Bravo (128). No other bowler has 100 or more wickets in the competition. Narine's sensational economy rate of 5.39 is the best among bowlers with at least 10 CPL wickets.
Here are his T20I numbers
Narine, who is now retired from international cricket, has also made a significant mark in T20Is. He has returned with 52 wickets in 51 T20Is in West Indies colors. His economy rate of 6.01 is still the best among bowlers with at least 50 wickets in the format. The spinner was a part of WI's 2012 ICC T20 World Cup-winning squad.
