Bangladesh’s left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman has set a remarkable milestone in T20 international cricket, becoming the bowler with the highest number of dot balls in the format’s history.
Although Mustafizur could not make a big impact with wickets during Bangladesh’s series-clinching match against Afghanistan in Sharjah on Saturday, his achievement was nonetheless historic. Bowling four overs, he conceded 40 runs without taking a wicket but delivered seven dot balls in the process. Those deliveries helped him surpass all others in total dot balls bowled in T20 internationals.
According to a post on his official Facebook page during the match, Mustafizur now holds the record for the most dot balls in T20 internationals—1,142 in total.
In a format dominated by boundaries and big hitting, every dot ball is invaluable, and Mustafizur’s consistency places him atop an elite list. New Zealand’s former pacer Tim Southee ranks second, followed by Bangladesh’s all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, England’s leg-spinner Adil Rashid, and Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan.
Statistics show Mustafizur has bowled 2,616 legitimate deliveries across 120 innings, with 1,142 of them being dot balls—a rate of 43.65 percent. He has conceded a total of 3,195 runs. Southee, in 123 innings, bowled 2,753 balls with 1,138 dots (41.33 percent), while Shakib managed 1,078 dots from 2,745 deliveries (39.27 percent) over 126 innings.
Only three bowlers—Mustafizur, Southee, and Shakib—have surpassed the 1,000-dot mark in T20 internationals. Adil Rashid has 988 dots from 2,756 deliveries (35.84 percent), and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan has 984 dots from 2,408 balls (40.86 percent).
Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed narrowly missed the top ten, ranking 11th with 838 dot balls from 1,755 deliveries in 81 innings, meaning nearly half of his balls (47.74 percent) did not concede runs.
Among the top five bowlers, Rashid Khan has conceded the fewest sixes (82), followed by Mustafizur (104), Shakib (120), Southee (142), and Adil Rashid (184).
In terms of wickets, Rashid Khan leads with 179—making him the highest wicket-taker in T20 internationals. Southee has 164, Mustafizur 152, Shakib 149, and Adil 141. Rashid Khan also tops the economy rate chart at 6.12, followed by Shakib (6.80), Mustafizur (7.32), Adil (7.48), and Southee (8.00).
Across all measures—dot balls, economy, and wickets—Mustafizur Rahman’s name consistently features among the best. Sometimes stingy, sometimes a hunter, he continues to shine as one of Bangladesh’s most valuable assets in T20 cricket.
