The ICC T20 World Cup 2024 is just around the corner and we take a look at the top 5 players with the most appearances in T20 WC. The tournament was first played in 2007 and there have been some greats of the modern game representing their country at T20 WC over the years, including the likes of Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Shane Watson, Virat Kohli, Kevin Pietersen, and MS Dhoni.
Among all players, only Rohit Sharma and Shakib Al Hasan have played in all eight competition editions. Naturally, they are at the top of the pile for the most matches played by an individual at the event.
Let’s have a look at the top 5 players with the most appearances in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup.
#5 Shahid Afridi: 34 matches
Shahid Afridi was a proper entertainer in this sport and has the fifth most appearances in the T20 WC, having played 34 matches on the grand stage for Pakistan. The leg-spin all-rounder played six T20 WC editions for his country and was a key part of their title victory in 2009.
Afridi’s most memorable performance at the event was in the two knockout matches of the 2009 T20 World Cup. In the semi-final against South Africa, he scored 51 runs in 34 balls and went on to pick 2 for 16 in his four overs. Afridi was outstanding in the final against Sri Lanka as well, picking 1 for 20 in four overs and then scoring an unbeaten 54 off 40 balls to clinch the trophy.
Afridi is the second-highest wicket-taker in T20 WC history, having snared 39 wickets at an average of 23.25 and an economy rate of 6.71. His best bowling figures in the tournament came in the 2009 WC, picking 4 for 11 in four overs against the Netherlands. With the bat, Afridi made 546 runs in the T20 World Cup at an average of 18.82 while striking at 154.23.
#4 Dwayne Bravo: 34 matches
Dwayne Bravo scored 530 runs and picked 27 wickets in the T20 World Cup
Dwayne Bravo, one of the T20 stalwarts, represented West Indies in seven different editions of the T20 World Cup. He is fourth on the list of players with the most appearances in the T20 WC, having played 34 games between 2007 and 2021. Bravo was a part of West Indies’ both title victories which came in 2012 and 2016.
The right-arm pace all-rounder had a very good campaign in 2009, where he picked 10 wickets with the ball at an economy of 8.76 while scoring 154 runs at 38.5 average and 145.28 strike rate. In the title-winning 2016 T20 WC, he claimed 9 wickets at 7.91 runs per wicket.
Overall, Bravo took 27 wickets in the T20 World Cup at an economy of 8.81 with one four-wicket haul and made 530 runs at an average of 21.20 while striking at 126.79.
#3 Tillakaratne Dilshan: 35 matches
One of Sri Lanka’s legendary cricketers, Tillakaratne Dilshan occupies third place amongst the top 5 players with the most appearances in T20 WC. The off-spin all-rounder played 35 matches for Sri Lanka across six editions of the T20 World Cup and was a part of their title-winning campaign in 2014.
Dilshan is fifth on the list of most runs scored by a player in T20 WC, with 897 runs at an average of 30.93 and a strike rate of 124.06, including six half-centuries. His best performance with the bat in the T20 WC came in the 2009 semi-final against West Indies when he struck 96 not out in 57 balls at the Oval to power Sri Lanka into the final with a 57-run victory.
Dilshan was awarded the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the 2009 edition, where he was the top run-scorer in the tournament with 317 runs at an average of 52.83 and a strike rate of 144.74.
#2 Shakib Al Hasan: 36 matches
Shakib Al Hasan will be crucial to Bangladesh’s chances at the upcoming T20 World Cup
The greatest cricketer to have come out of Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan has the second most appearances in T20 WC with 36 matches to his credit. Along with Rohit Sharma, he is the only other player to have played at least one game in each of the eight T20 WC events.
The left-arm spin all-rounder is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament’s history, having claimed 47 wickets at 18.63 runs apiece and an economy rate of 6.78. Shakib’s best bowling figures came against PNG in the 2021 T20 WC, where he picked 4 for 9 in four overs.
Shakib, who has been one of Bangladesh’s better batters, has scored 742 runs across eight editions at an average of 23.93 while striking at 122.44. His best knock in the tournament was against Pakistan in 2012, when he smashed 84 runs in 54 balls at Pallekelle.
#1 Rohit Sharma: 39 matches
Rohit Sharma sits at the top of the league of players with the most appearances in the T20 WC, having played 39 matches for India across eight editions of the tournament. Sharma, who was a part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign in 2007, scored an unbeaten 50 runs off 40 balls in his debut innings against South Africa.
Rohit is the fourth-highest run-getter in the history of the T20 World Cup, with 963 runs at an average of 34.39 and a strike rate of 127.88. He has registered nine half-centuries in his T20 WC career, with his best knock of 79 runs in 46 deliveries coming against Australia in 2010. Sharma is set to lead India at the second consecutive T20 WC and he would be desperate to end India’s trophy drought.