ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Ranking top 10 ‘all-time greats’ in T20 World Cup history

The highly anticipated upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 is less than a week away; the tournament is scheduled to be played in the USA and West Indies starting on June 1 with the inaugural match between the co-hosts USA and Canada. It is going to be the first-ever edition with 20 teams in the history of the tournament.

Notably, it will be the 9th edition of the tournament since its inception 17 years back in the year 2007. A lot of great cricketers have graced the game with their excellence in the T20 World Cup throughout different editions.

Having said that, here we’ll have a look at the top 10 ‘all-time greats’ in the history of the tournament for the last 17 years.

Here's a look at Top 10 'all-time greats' in T20 World Cup history: 

10. Umar Gul (Pakistan)

The former Pakistan pacer was one of the vital cogs in the wheel for Pakistan’s ‘journey to the finals’ in the T20 World Cup 2007 and title win in the T20 World Cup 2009. Umar Gul played in 5 editions of the T20 World Cup 2024 from 2007 to 2014.

Throughout these editions, Gul bowled in 24 innings and scalped 35 wickets with an economy rate of 7.31 and a strike rate of 14.17, with one 4-wicket-haul and one 5-wicket-haul, including the best performance of 5 wickets just at the cost of 6 runs in a match. He can be ranked 10th in the list of T20 World Cup history’s top-10 all-time greats.

9. David Warner (Australia)

The veteran Australia Southpaw made his T20 WC debut in the 2009 edition of the tournament. Since then, he has batted in 34 innings, scoring 806 runs, hitting 6 half-centuries, with a strike rate of 133.22, hitting 86 fours and 31 sixes.

After appearing in 7 editions of the tournament, it will be his 8th appearance and might be the last one in the T20 World Cup. The New South Welshman has established himself as one of the ‘all-time greats’ in the history of the tournament.

8. Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan)

Former Pakistan spin stalwart bowled in 23 innings in his T20 World Cup career for Pakistan. Ajmal happened to be one of the most economical bowlers in the history of the prestigious cricket biennial. He has been one of the important elements for Pakistan in their few successes in the early phase of the tournament.

Ajmal has picked 36 wickets in 23 innings, with an economy rate of 6.79, claiming 3 four-wicket-hauls, with the best performance of 4 wickets at the cost of 19 runs in a match. He ranks 8th in the list of the ‘all-time greats’ in the history of the T20 World Cup.

7. Rohit Sharma (India)

The current India skipper is one of the very few players who have been a part of the T20 World Cup since the inception of the tournament 17 years back in 2007. Rohit made his memorable T20 WC debut against South Africa in a super-8 match in 2007, in which he scored a half-century and a crucial run-out of veteran Proteas all-rounder Justin Kemp. 

Since then, Rohit Sharma has never looked back and established himself as an ‘all-time’ great in the history of the tournament. He is currently the fourth leading run-scorer in the history of the tournament, scoring 963 runs in 36 innings, with an average of 34.39, hitting 9 half-centuries. He is just 2 runs behind former Caribbean batter Chris Gayle to become 3rd leading run-scorer and 53 runs behind Mahela Jayawardene to become the second-leading run-scorer in the tournament’s history.

6. Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)

The former legendary Sri Lanka pacer is undoubtedly the all-time great pacer ever played in the history of the T20 World Cup. Malinga is still the highest-wicket taker among pacers in the history of the tournament, with 38 wickets in 31 innings, having an economy rate of 7.42, including a five-wicket haul.

Malinga was also the skipper of Sri Lanka and guided them to win the title in the ICC T20 World Cup 2014 after defeating MS Dhoni’s India in the Final of the tournament.  

5. Chris Gayle (West Indies)

The former Caribbean legend and ‘universe boss’, Chris Gayle is still remembered as the batter to hit the boundary on the first ball in the history of the T20 World Cup. Gayle batted in 31 innings and ranks third in the list of leading run-scorers in the tournament’s history.

Gayle scored 965 runs with an average of 34.46, with a strike rate of 142.75, hitting 7 centuries and 2 half-centuries in his T20 WC career.

4. Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi was the first ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the history of the T20 World Cup; he won the ‘Player of the Tournament award in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2007. He is still the second-leading wicket-taker in the history of the T20 World Cup.

Afridi has bagged 39 wickets in the 34 innings, with an economy rate of 6.72 and a strike rate of 20.77, with 2 four-wicket hauls, having a best performance of 4 wickets at the cost of 11 runs in a match.

3. Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)

The former legendary Sri Lanka skipper has one of the greatest legacies ever in the history of the tournament. Even after years of retirement, he is still the second-leading run-scorer in the tournament. He was the first one to complete 1000 runs in T20 World Cup career before Virat Kohli surpassed him later.

Jayawardene scored 1,016 runs in 30 innings with an average of 39.08 and a strike rate of 134.74, hitting 6 half-centuries and 1 century.

2. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)

The veteran Bangladesh all-rounder and former skipper, Shakib Al Hasan is undoubtedly an ‘all-time bowling great’ in the history of the T20 World Cup. He is currently the leading wicket-taker in the tournament’s history with a good gap from the other active bowlers in the tournament.

Shakib has scalped 47 wickets in 35 innings with an economy rate of 6.79 and a strike rate of 16.47, having 3 four-wicket hauls, including the best performance of 4 wickets at the cost of just 9 runs in a match.

1. Virat Kohli (India)

Former India skipper and modern-day batting great, Virat Kohli is way ahead than then other batters in the history of the T20 World Cup. Without any second opinion, Kohli can be ranked at the top in this list of the ‘all-time greats’ in the history of the tournament.

He is the leading run-scorer in the T20 World Cup history, with 1,141 runs in just 25 innings with an amazing average of 81.50 and a strike rate of 131.30, hitting 14 half-centuries.