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In the high-octane world of T20 cricket, where boundaries flow freely, and runs are often scored at a rapid pace, it’s a rare sight to witness a maiden over and that too in the final over of the innings. The death overs are usually the most challenging for bowlers, and even the most perfect ones struggle to keep their economy in check during this phase of the game.
However, a select few have managed to accomplish the remarkable feat of bowling a maiden 20th over in a T20I match. India’s star pacer Jasprit Bumrah is the most recent addition to the list after his sensational outing with the bowl against Ireland.
On that note, let’s take a closer look at the five exceptional bowlers who etched their names in cricket history by achieving this unique feat.
1) Jeetan Patel (against West Indies in 2008)
Jeetan Patel was the first one to achieve this rare feat. The New Zealand bowler achieved it against West Indies in a T20I at Hamilton in 2008 when New Zealand put up a challenging total of 191-9 in their 20 overs after opting to bat first.
In response, the Caribbean side struggled to get going and reached a situation where they needed 37 runs off the last six balls. Patel was entrusted with the responsibility of bowling the final over.
Chasing the impossible target, West Indies’ batter Dinesh Ramdin tried to go for the big hit but was caught at the long-off.
Kieron Pollard, who was at the non-striker’s end before the start of the last over, was quick to change sides while Ramdin’s hit was in the air and faced the next ball of the over. However, Pollard couldn’t score any run on the second ball and then was dismissed on the following delivery.
Pollard’s wicket made way for tailender Sulieman Benn who failed to score any run in the remaining three balls, making it a maiden over.
2) Mohammad Amir (against Australia in 2010)
Pakistan’s star pacer Mohammad Amir is well-known for his sensational bowling in the death overs. The left-armer bowled a maiden 20th over back in 2010 against Australia in the T20 World Cup.
The game between the two formidable sides witnessed Aussie batters taking Pakistani bowlers to the cleaners and posting a mammoth 191/5 on the scoreboard after 19 overs. Although the Australian team was looking to cross the 200-run mark, Amir stepped up to the task for Pakistan and put a brake on the Aussie batter’s onslaught.
The Pakistani seamer started off with a wicket of Brad Haddin in the 20th over. He then dismissed Mitchell Johnson on the very next ball. The fall of the wickets for Australia didn’t just stop there, as in the following two deliveries, they suffered two run-outs. Aussie tailender Shaun Tait missed the fifth ball, and then he also fell victim to Amir, making it a five-wicket maiden over.
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3) Janak Prakash (against Qatar in 2019)
The third name on the list is Janak Prakash from the Singapore team, who achieved a special milestone during a game against Qatar in the ICC World T20 Qualifiers when Qatar needed 35 runs off the last over.
Although Prakash did end up giving a single run in the over, it came from leg-bye, which doesn’t go into the bowler’s account, and hence he etched his name in the annals of T20I history by bowling a maiden last over.
While the first three balls of Prakash to Mohammad Rizlan were dots, the fourth went for one run as leg bye. The next ball saw the all-rounder bas a wicket of Iqbal Hussain. Meanwhile, the final delivery to Rizlan once again turned out to be a dot ball.
4) Navdeep Saini (against West Indies in 2019)
Indian seamer Navdeep Saini was the first Indian who accomplished the landmark. He did it in his debut T20I game against West Indies in 2019. Saini made a stunning entry into international cricket during his T20I debut, picking up wickets on two consecutive deliveries in his first over. He then was asked to bowl the final over, where he started off perfectly and didn’t let Kieron Pollard score any runs on the first two balls. The third delivery of Saini sent the Windies batter back to the pavilion as he was found Leg Before Wicket (LBW).
Following Pollards’s dismissal, the newly arrived Oshane Thomas also ceased to add runs in the last three balls, making a wicket-maiden for Saini.
5) Jasprit Bumrah (against Ireland in 2023)
Jasprit Bumrah is the latest addition to the list. He achieved the feat against Ireland on August 20 2023, when India’s skipper for the Irish tour took the responsibility to bowl the final over himself with 37 runs to defend.
Bumrah started off well with three back-to-back dot balls to Mark Adair. He then went on to dismiss the Irish batter on the fourth delivery, which led to Joshua Little arriving in the middle. Bumrah then continued his momentum by bowling yet another dot. Although the last ball went for four through leg byes, it still ended as a brilliant spell from the Indian seamer.
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