5 best bowling performances in Men's T20 World Cup finals ft. Irfan Pathan

India take on South Africa in the final of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Saturday, June 29. Both teams have been unbeaten throughout the tournament and will be keen on maintaining this run and taking home the silverware on offer.

India have won a T20 World Cup title already (2007) but South Africa have not been able to get their hands on any ICC trophy in their stellar career yet.

Both teams will want to give it their best shot in this game and not leave anything to chance. They know that they cannot afford to put a foot wrong.

The sides will also be keen on putting up good bowling performances, as it is known that it is the bowlers who lead teams to titles on a regular basis.

On that note, in this listicle, we take a look at the five best bowling performances in the finals of Men's T20 World Cup finals over the years:

#5 Irfan Pathan (3-16, 2007)

Former India left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan earns his name on this list by virtue of the brilliant 3-16 he picked up in the final of the 2007 World T20 against Pakistan in Johannesburg.

This performance of his was vital for MS Dhoni's men to restrict the Shaheens to 152 while chasing 158.

While the credit for this win most often goes to Dhoni opting to go with Joginder Sharma for the crucial last over, it was Irfan who had played a big role by bagging the wickets of Shoaib Malik, Yasir Arafat and the dangerous Shahid Afridi earlier.

This was the inaugural World Cup in this format and India etched their name in history by winning it.

#4 Josh Hazlewood (3-16, 2021)

Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, who has been one of the most consistent performers for his team across all three formats, comes second on this list thanks to the 3-16 he picked up in the 2021 final against New Zealand.

Played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, New Zealand batted first to put up a daunting total of 172-4 on the board, of which three (Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson and Glenn Phillips) were snapped up by Hazlewood.

Australia eventually chased these runs down thanks to half-centuries from David Warner (53) and current T20I captain Mitchell Marsh (77).

#3 Sam Curran (3-12, 2022)

Sam Curran of England celebrates the wicket of Steven Taylor of the USA during the ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies & USA 2024 Super Eight match between USA and England at Kensington Oval on June 23, 2024 in Bridgetown, Barbados. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

England, who won the previous edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup held in Australia in 2022, will have to thank their left-arm seamer Sam Curran, who picked up 3-12 in the final against Pakistan.

This game was played at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground and saw Pakistan being restricted to a lowly 137-8 in the first innings.

Curran broke the back of the Shaheens by picking up the wickets of Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood and Mohammad Nawaz.

In reply, England chased the target down with one over to spare and took home their second T20 World Cup title, after they had first won it in 2010 by beating Australia in the final in Bridgetown, Barbados.

#2 Sunil Narine (3-9, 2012)

Sunil Narine in action for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.

The 2012 WT20 final, played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo was historic in many ways given that the West Indies finally returned to their days of glory.

They singlehandedly won an ICC tournament for the first time since 1979 (they did win the 2004 Champions Trophy, but it was not on par with a World Cup event).

The Windies batted first and put up a modest total of 137-6 on the board in their quota of 20 overs; Marlon Samuels played a lone knock of 78 off 56 deliveries.

In response, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 101 in 18.4 overs, with 'magician' Sunil Narine picking up 3-9 in 3.4 overs to knock the wind out of the sails of the hosts.

#1 Ajantha Mendis (4-12, 2012)

Ajantha Mendis in action for Sri Lanka.

Former Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis comes first on this list thanks to the 4-12 he picked up in the same match mentioned earlier in which Sunil Narine had picked up 3-9.

Mendis, often touted as a mystery spinner owing to the variations he offered in addition to his regular off-breaks, played a massive role in restricting the West Indies to a modest total of 137-6 in the first innings.

However, the Sri Lankan batters did not have an answer to the web that Narine spun around them in the second innings and folded up for a meek 101 to hand the Windies their first major ICC World Cup win since 1979.