Most wickets for South Africa in T20Is: 2 pace aces go toe to to toe 2nd position

Jonhenry Wilson
Lungi Ngidi celebrates
Lungi Ngidi is among South Africa's top wicket-takers in T20Is.

Who has taken the most wickets for South Africa in T20I cricket?

Find out more about South Africa’s most prolific T20I bowlers.

A talented, but uncontracted, left-arm wrist spinner leads the line.

1. Tabraiz Shamsi: 89 T20I wickets

  • T20I career: 2017-2024
  • Best bowling: 5/24

Shamsi is South Africa’s highest wicket-taker in T20I cricket and one of the most prolific left-arm wrist spinners in the game. He’s opted not to be contracted by Cricket South Africa, so his days in the green and gold are likely numbered.

He has been particularly successful against England, especially during 2022’s T20I in Southampton, where he took a match-winning five-for. The haul included the key dismissals of Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone.

2. Kagiso Rabada: 71 T20I wickets

  • T20I career: 2014-2024
  • Best bowling: 3/18

Rabada’s best has been witnessed on the Test stage time and time again, but he has put in a good shift in T20Is, too – and will back at during this month’s limited-overs in Australia.

Incredibly, Rabada has collected 70-plus wickets in T20I cricket without ever taking a four-for, let alone a five-for. He has been relatively successful in India, where seamers don’t usually succeed in the shortest format, with 13 of his T20I wickets taken in that country.

3. Lungi Ngidi: 68 T20I wickets

  • T20I career: 2017-2025
  • Best bowling: 5/39

Ngidi is still vying with Rabada to be the most prolific seamer in T20I cricket for South Africa. Unlike Rabada, Ngidi does have a five-wicket haul in the shortest format of the international game.

He did this against England in Bristol in 2022. Interestingly, almost a third of Ngidi’s T20I wickets have come against the English. He enjoys capitalising in big-ticket fixtures against the old enemy.

Also read – Ranked by age: The 10 youngest international captains per format – Test, ODI and T20I cricket

4. Dale Steyn: 64 T20I wickets

  • T20I career: 2007-2020
  • Best bowling: 4/9

Steyn used to be South Africa‘s highest wicket-takers among seamers before Ngidi and Rabada took over. Nowadays, he concentrates his time on mentoring fast bowlers around the world.

While he recently lost his job as Sunrisers Eastern Cape bowling coach in the SA20, we’ll undoubtedly see Steyn with another franchise soon enough, even if not necessarily in the SA20.

5. Imran Tahir: 61 T20I wickets

  • T20I career: 2013-2019
  • Best bowling: 5/23

A wrist spinner, yes. A left-armer, no, so Tahir is in a league of his own – unrivalled by Shamsi – when it comes to South Africa’s most prolific leg-spinners in T20Is.

Like Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis, Tahir never formally retired from T20I cricket, but hasn’t represented his country for a long time. At 46 years old, he is still taking wickets around the world in domestic T20 leagues.

6. Wayne Parnell: 59 T20I wickets

  • T20I career: 2009-2023
  • Best bowling: 5/30

Parnell is South Africa’s most successful left-arm seamer in T20I cricket and among their strongest all-rounders in this format once upon a time, too.

He recently changed division one teams in South African domestic level and publicly expressed ambition to play for the Proteas again. T20I or ODI cricket would likely be the fit, if at all, not necessarily at Test match level.

7. Anrich Nortje: 53 T20I wickets

  • T20I career: 2019-2024
  • Best bowling: 4/7

Nortje has not played T20I cricket for almost a year, but was recently named Cricket South Africa’s T20I Bowler of the Year – go figure, sports fans.

Nortje, like Shamsi, chose not be contracted by CSA. He’s prone to injury a lot of late, but when fully fit, his outright pace is such a huge asset for South Africa.

8. Andile Phehlukwayo: 50 T20I wickets

  • T20I career: 2017-2024
  • Best bowling: 4/24

Critics will remember Phehlukwayo for his infuriating inability to capitalise on an immense amount of talent. Like Parnell, he was as much an all-rounder as he was a seamer.

Phehlukwayo had cleverly disguised slower deliveries and other nifty changes in pace. He was, for a brief period, arguably South Africa’s best death bowler in T20I cricket.

9. Morne Morkel: 46 T20I wickets

  • T20I career: 2007-2017
  • Best bowling: 4/17

Like Steyn and Rabada, Morkel’s best was saved for the Test stage. But that long, lanky frame of his often succeeded in on the opposite end of the three international formats, too.

Morkel is currently employed as India’s bowling coach, mentoring the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan and other hot talents. Morkel also starred in the Indian Premier League previously.

    Most wickets for South Africa in T20Is – top 9 summary

    1. Tabraiz Shamsi: 89 T20I wickets
    2. Kagiso Rabada: 71 T20I wickets
    3. Lungi Ngidi: 68 T20I wickets
    4. Dale Steyn: 64 T20I wickets
    5. Imran Tahir: 61 T20I wickets
    6. Wayne Parnell: 59 T20I wickets
    7. Anrich Nortje: 53 T20I wickets
    8. Andile Phehlukwayo: 50 T20I wickets
    9. Morne Morkel: 46 T20I wickets

    Read next – Revealed: New Zealand’s 13 highest Test totals > triplet centurions usher in new entry