The Women's T20 World Cup is a premier biennial international tournament in cricket. Since its inception in 2009, it has provided a platform for the world's best female cricketers to showcase their skills and compete at the highest level.
As far as bowlers are concerned, the Women’s T20 World Cup has seen some of the most talented cricketers grace the competition, taking wickets time and again to torment the opposition batters.
South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail, with 43 wickets, has taken the most wickets in the Women's T20 World Cup. Here’s a look at all the leading wicket-takers in the tournament’s history.
Most wickets in Women’s T20 World Cup
| Player | Team | Matches | Wickets |
| Shabnim Ismail | South Africa | 32 | 43 |
| Anya Shrubsole | England | 27 | 41 |
| Megan Schutt | Australia | 24 | 40 |
| Ellyse Perry | Australia | 42 | 40 |
| Stafanie Taylor | West Indies | 31 | 33 |
| Sophie Devine | New Zealand | 32 | 29 |
| Poonam Yadav | India | 18 | 28 |
| Nida Dar | Pakistan | 29 | 27 |
| Deandra Dottin | West Indies | 30 | 26 |
| Marizanne Kaap | South Africa | 26 | 26 |
Shabnim Ismail - 43 wickets in 32 matches
Shabnim Ismail is the most successful bowler in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup history. She has represented the Proteas team between 2009 to 2023, featuring in 32 matches.
The pacer has an incredible economy rate of 5.83 runs per over, while maintaining an average of 15.25 in the tournament. She has also bowled the most maiden overs (8) in this tournament.
Anya Shrubsole - 41 wickets in 27 matches
Anya Shrubsole is currently the second-most successful bowler in the history of the Women's T20 World Cup.
She represented England in six editions from 2010 to 2020 and was consistently a standout performer. Her ability to swing the ball and create breakthroughs for her team made her a valuable player for her side.
In the 2014 edition, Shrubsole was instrumental in helping England reach their second successive final, where they eventually lost to Australia. Despite stumbling in the final hurdle, her performances earned her the Player of the Series award as she bagged 13 wickets from six matches at an economy of 4.08.
Ellyse Perry - 40 wickets in 41 matches
Australia Women’s all-time leading wicket-taker in T20Is, Ellyse Perry has made a significant impact in the tournament with her bowling heroics over the years.
The all-rounder’s valuable contributions have been key to Australia’s sheer domination in the competition, helping them win five of the seven World Cups so far.
Perry was named the Player of the Match in the 2010 final for her phenomenal spell (3/18) as Australia edged past New Zealand by three runs to bag their maiden title.
West Indies all-rounder Stafanie Taylor and Australian pacer Megan Schutt are the other top wicket-takers in the Women’s T20 World Cup, with just a handful of scalps separating the three players.
Among Indians, spinner Poonam Yadav leads the pack with 28 wickets in 18 matches. She’s played in just four editions, making her first appearance in 2014.
Furthermore, Poonam Yadav took 10 wickets from five matches in the 2020 edition, which also happens to be the only instance where India made it to the final. The Indian cricket team lost the final against Australia by 85 runs.
Photo credit: Alamy
