Well, picking up early wickets and restricting the flow of runs is considered extremely crucial for a team to secure their victory in the T20I cricket format. The glorious decades-old history of T20 international cricket has witnessed numerous attacking bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah, Shahid Afridi, Rashid Khan, Trent Boult and many others, who have dominated and brutally destroyed the top batting lineups of the most prominent cricket teams in the world with their unique bowling action and unmatched death-over prowess. However, a few bowlers have also proved to be unimaginably expensive for their teams in the past few decades.
In this article we will take a look at the top four most expensive bowling spells in the history of the T20I format that left the fans stunned.
Top 4 Most Expensive Bowling Spells in the History of T20I
Barry McCarthy – 0/69, Ireland vs. Afghanistan
The South African-born Irish cricketer, Barry McCarthy, who made his first-class debut in 2015, and plays for the Ireland cricket team, and previously the English side Durham, is at the first spot in our list of the top four most expensive bowling spells in the T20I format.
The Irish bowling sensation, Barry McCarthy, made his Twenty20 International(T20I) debut for Ireland against Afghanistan in 2017. The young Irish bowler, Barry McCarthy, proved to be extremely expensive for the Irish national cricket team and conceded sixty-nine runs without picking up even a single wicket.
Chris Sole – 1/72, Scotland vs New Zealand
At the second spot in our list of the top four most expensive bowling spells in the history of the T20I format that left the fans stunned, we have Chris Sole’s disappointing bowling spell against New Zealand in Edinburgh in July 2022. Although Chris Sole was anticipated to give a tough time to New Zealand’s top-batting lineup, he ended up disappointing the fans to a shocking extent. The second match of the T20I series against New Zealand witnessed one of the most shocking performances from Chris Sole, who ended up conceding seventy-two runs and managed to pick up only a single wicket in a spell of four overs.
Kasun Rajitha – 0/75, Sri Lanka vs Australia
Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four most expensive bowling spells in the T20I format, we have Kasun Rajitha’s 0/75 bowling spell against Australia in Adelaide on 27 October 2019. The first T20I match of the Sri Lanka tour of Australia, 2019, at the Adelaide Oval, Australia witnessed one of the most shocking and disappointing bowling performances of Kasun Rajitha’s international cricketing career.
Sri Lanka’s Kasun Rajitha bowled a total of four overs throughout the match and ended up conceding 75 runs without picking up even a single wicket, which significantly contributed to Australia’s victory against Sri Lanka by 134 runs.
Musa Jobarteh – 0/93, Gambia vs Zimbabwe
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four most expensive bowling spells in the T20I format that proved to be a nightmare for the teams, we have Musa Jobarteh’s terrible 0/93 bowling spell during the Zimbabwe vs Gambia 2014 match at the Nairobi Gymkhana Club Ground, Kenya.
Musa ended up bowling a high number of full tosses and allowed a total of 93 runs without taking even a single wicket. Zimbabwe’s top-order batting lineup, including prominent batsmen like Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, and Craig Ervine, went all-out and shattered Musa Jobarteh’s bowling. As of June 2025, Musa Jobarteh’s 0/93 continues to be the most expensive four-overs bowling spell in the history of T20 internationals.
