Sunil Narine completes 500 T20 wickets: Decoding his stats
Veteran spinner Sunil Narine has added another feather to his already illustrious hat, having completed 500 wickets in the T20 format. He became just the third bowler after Dwayne Bravo and Rashid Khan to get the feat. The Vitality Blast match between Surrey and Glamorgan on June 7 marked his milestone. Here we decode his stellar stats in the 20-over format.
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 returned with 1/34 in four overs against Glamorgan as Surrey won the contest by 65 runs.
Here are his stellar numbers
Narine touched the 500-wicket mark in 460 games. As mentioned, only Bravo (615) and Rashid (555) are ahead of him in terms of T20 wickets. He boasts the best economy rate (6.05) 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 21.11.
Fifth most appearances in the format
Meanwhile, Narine is the fifth-most capped player in the T20 format, having played 460 matches. Kieron Pollard (625), Bravo (558), Shoaib Malik (510), and Chris Gayle (463) are ahead of him in this regard. Andre Russell (450) is the only other player to feature in 450 T20 matches. Hence, five of the top-six spots in this list are occupied by West Indies players.
His numbers in the Vitality Blast
Coming to Narine's stats in the Vitality T20 Blast, England's premier domestic T20 competition, he has raced to 25 wickets in 12 games at an economy of 6.16. In the ongoing season, he has 11 wickets from seven games (ER: 6.53).
Here are his IPL numbers
A major chunk of Narine's wickets have come in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he represents Kolkata Knight Riders. His tally of 163 wickets in 162 games is the most for a KKR player. The spinner's economy rate of 6.73 is only second to Rashid (6.66) among bowlers with at least 60 IPL wickets. Narine owns the most four-wicket hauls in IPL (8).
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 101 wickets in 96 games is second to that of Bravo (124). No other bowler has 100 or more wickets in the competition. Narine's sensational economy rate of 5.27 is the best among bowlers with at least five CPL wickets.
Here are his T20I numbers
Narine, who last played a T20I in August 2019, has also made a significant mark at the highest level. 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.
