A cricketer always dreams about playing his country for the first time. And not only playing but also performing well in debut. Many bowlers in the history of T20I cricket didn’t have a very impressive debut. On the other hand, some bowlers showed their potential on the first ball of their career. Here is the list of Top 10 Bowlers to Take Wicket on First Ball of T20I Career-
1. Ajit Agarkar (India)
Ajit Agarkar was one of the regular bowlers in the Indian squad in the era from 2000-2010. He is the third-most wicket-taker for India in ODI. He started his T20I career against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2006. He dismissed Herschelle Gibbs on the very first ball of his T20I career.
2. Shaun Tait (Australia)
Shaun William Tait was one of the fastest bowlers ever. He made his T20I debut against New Zealand in 2007 at West Australia Cricket Association Ground in Perth. He got Jamie How out caught behind by Adam Gilchrist to kick off his T20I career. On the third ball of the same over, he knocked over Ross Taylor to end up with the figures of 2/22 in 4 overs. Till his last T20I against India in Sydney in 2016, he grabbed 28 wickets in 21 games.
3. Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand)
Bangladesh toured New Zealand in 2017 to play 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is, and 2 Tests. In the first T20I at McLean Park in Napier, Bangladesh decided to bat first. Debutant Lockie Ferguson got rid of Sabbir Rahman and Soumya Sarkar on the first two balls of his T20I career. In the 15 T20I innings, he has taken 25 wickets. He is one of the quickest bowlers in today’s cricket.
4. Taijul Islam (Bangladesh)
Taijul Islam played his first T20I when Bangladesh clashed with Zimbabwe in 2019 at Mirpur. In the 2nd over of the first innings, Captain Shakib al Hasan handed the ball to Taijul Islam. Islam repaid the faith and dismissed opening batter, Brendan Taylor, on the first ball of his career.
5. Lakshan Sandakan (Sri Lanka)
Lakshan Sandakan had a memorable T20I debut against South Africa in 2017 at Johannesburg. In the 7th over of the first innings, Sandakan dismissed Mangaliso Mosehle on the first ball. He ended the match with the bowling of 4/23 in 4 overs. This was the third-best bowling by a Sri Lankan bowler in T20I cricket.
6. Pragyan Ojha (India)
Pragyan Ojha debuted against Bangladesh in the 2009 T20 World Cup in Nottingham. With his slow left-arm orthodox bowling, he recorded the bowling figures of 4/21 in 4 overs. This is the second-best bowling figure by an Indian bowler on his T20I debut. On the first ball of his T20I career, he got rid of Shakib al Hasan. His spell helped India defend the target of 181. For his spell, he was awarded the title of the Man of the Match.
7. Keshav Maharaj (South Africa)
Keshav Maharaj has become a regular part of the South African squad in all three formats. In his T20I debut match against Sri Lanka in 2021 at Colombo, he got the wicket of Bhanuka Rajapaksa on the very first ball of his T20I career. He bowled an economical spell of 1/19 in 4 overs. Interestingly, he was also the captain in this match.
8. Andre Nel (South Africa)
Andre Nel made his T20I debut when South Africa hosted New Zealand in 2005 at Johannesburg. New Zealand needed 134 to win in the second innings. In the sixth over, captain Graeme Smith handed the ball to Nel. Nel clean bowled Nathan Astle on the first ball. On the final ball of the same over, he dismissed Hamish Marshall. He ended his quota of 4 overs taking 2 wickets.
9. Michael Kasprowicz (Australia)
Michael Kasprowicz was one of the 22 players to play in the first-ever T20I match. This match was held between trans-Tasman rivals Australia and New Zealand in 2005 in Auckland. New Zealand was asked to chase the target of 215 in 20 overs. The hosts got a good start and had 49 runs on the scoreboard in 5 overs. Aussie captain Ricky Ponting introduced Kasprowicz into the attack. Kasprowicz shook the Kiwi run chase by dismissing Brendon McCullum and Stephen Fleming on the first two balls of his spell.
10. Rory Kleinveldt (South Africa)
South Africa hosted Bangladesh in the only T20I in 2008 at Johannesburg. Due to the rain interruption, the match was reduced to 14-overs each inning. In the 4th over of the second innings, Rory Kleinveldt dismissed Junaid Siddique on the first ball to get things going for South Africa. The hosts won the match by 12 runs (D/L method).
