The year 2020 is about to get over, and people worldwide are nothing but relieved. With the world coming to a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the year saw many major sporting tournaments getting postponed or cancelled left, right and centre. Cricket also couldn’t escape from the global health scare as many much-awaited fixtures couldn’t take place including the T20 World Cup in Australia. Nevertheless, a decent amount of cricket was still played, which saw a great tussle between the bat and ball. Below, we’ll look at five bowlers who made a mark in 2020. Year Ender 2020: From Steve Smith to KL Rahul, 5 Batsmen Who Owned The Year With Their Blitzes.

With bat sizes being on the larger side and boundaries being small, the modern-day cricket is known to be dominated by batsmen. Moreover, bowlers’ task became even more challenging this year as the International Cricket Council (ICC) banned the use of saliva due to health concerns. Regardless of the fact, some players made a mark with the ball in hand. While some tormented the batsmen with their thunderbolts, several also made an impact with their spinning deliveries. As 2020 comes to an end, let’s laud the bowlers who performed remarkably well. Year Ender 2020: MS Dhoni, Iker Casillas and Other Major Sport Stars Who Announced Retirement.

1. Stuart Broad – England

The veteran England pacer was left heartbroken after getting dropped from the first Test against West Indies earlier this year. However, the team management’s decision proved to be a blessing in disguise as the 34-year-old came all guns blazing after that game. He bowled with hostility and consistency as West Indies, South Africa and Pakistan couldn’t do much against Three Lions. In fact, Broad’s tally of 38 wickets in eight matches is highest for any bowler in Test matches.

2. Kyle Jamieson – New Zealand

Making his international debut against India earlier this year, the tall pacer just didn’t take long in becoming the cornerstone of New Zealand’s bowling line-up across formats. The right-arm speedster can set the speed gun on fire, and his tendency to extract extra bounce from the tracks makes him even more lethal. Overall, Jamieson scalped 31 wickets in 11 matches.

3. Adam Zampa – Australia

Adam Zampa has indeed been at his lethal best this year and his numbers back the fact. The leg-spinner took regular wickets in the middle overs – often pushing the opposition out of the contest. Despite not being a massive turner of the ball, Zampa relied on his variations to take wickets in Australia, England and India. With 27 wickets in 13 games, Zampa took most wickets in ODIs this year.

4. Lungi Ngidi – South Africa

While Kagiso Rabada missed many matches for South Africa this year due to injuries, Ngidi rose to the occasion and made a mark with his thunderbolts. Be it taking wickets with the new ball or tormenting opposition teams in the death overs, Ngidi provided breakthroughs whenever the ball was thrown to him. He, overall, picked 32 wickets in 14 games with career-best ODI figures of 6/58.

5. R Ashwin – India

Often accused of not performing overseas, the talismanic Indian off-spinner proved his mettle on New Zealand and Australian soil. Despite not getting much help from the pace-friendly tracks, an evolved Ashwin trouble batsmen constantly with his turning deliveries. In fact, he picked a four-wicket haul with the Pink ball which is not known to help spinners. Hence, the 34-year-old deserves a place in this prominent list.

Although 2020 has been a forgettable year for sports fans, 2021 is expected to be a better one with many significant fixtures lined-up. The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 will take place in India in March while the ICC T20 World Cup will be played in India as well in September-October. The final of the inaugural World Test Championship also takes place in 2021. So, cricket fans should buckle themselves and mark their favourite fixtures.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 30, 2020 08:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).