Mustafizur Rahman Named in Wisden’s Men’s T20 Team of the Year

Bangladesh’s left-arm pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman has received a major international accolade after being named in Wisden’s Men’s T20 Team of the Year, following an outstanding run across international cricket and franchise leagues throughout 2025. The selection, made by Wisden’s editorial panel, is based on performances in all officially recognised T20 matches worldwide and reflects consistency, impact and match-winning influence.

With the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on the horizon, the latter part of 2025 saw a notable increase in international T20 fixtures, alongside a packed calendar of domestic franchise tournaments across the globe. Wisden confirmed that performances from every recognised T20 competition—international and domestic—were evaluated to compile this elite XI. Against this highly competitive backdrop, Mustafizur’s inclusion stands out as a testament to his sustained excellence.

In its assessment, Wisden highlighted that among bowlers who delivered at least 150 overs in recognised T20 cricket during 2025, no one came close to Mustafizur’s bowling average of 18.03. The Bangladeshi seamer was the most economical fast bowler of the year, while only West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder marginally bettered him in strike rate. Across formats and conditions, Mustafizur repeatedly curtailed scoring and struck at crucial moments, reaffirming his reputation as one of the most reliable death-over specialists in modern T20 cricket.

Mustafizur Rahman – T20 Performance Snapshot (2025)

For comparison, Jason Holder bowled the most overs in 2025—250.2 overs—and claimed 97 wickets at a strike rate of 15.4, though his average stood at 21.42, significantly higher than Mustafizur’s.

Wisden’s Team of the Year has been carefully balanced, featuring two specialist spinners, two specialist pacers and two pace-bowling all-rounders. In the spin department, India’s Varun Chakravarthy is joined by West Indies legend Sunil Narine. Mustafizur partners New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy in the pace attack, while Sam Curran and Holder provide all-round depth.

The batting unit is equally formidable. India’s Abhishek Sharma and England’s Phil Salt open the innings. Abhishek enjoyed a historic year, scoring three T20 centuries and becoming the first player to record 1,000 runs in a calendar year at a strike rate of over 200, finishing with 1,602 runs at an astonishing 202.01 strike rate, alongside 10 wickets. Salt, who also serves as wicketkeeper, amassed 1,575 runs in 52 innings at a strike rate of 153.35, striking at 176 for England and in the IPL.

Completing the XI are South Africa’s Dewald Brevis and Donovan Ferreira, along with Australia’s Tim David. Wisden’s editors singled out Ferreira as one of the most destructive middle-overs batters in the game, noting that he struck a six every 6.6 balls and a four every 3.9 balls during 2025. Brevis, meanwhile, maintained strike rates above 180 across the IPL, SA20 and The Hundred, consistently dominating from positions three to seven.

Altogether, Mustafizur Rahman’s presence in Wisden’s Team of the Year not only marks a personal milestone but also underscores Bangladesh’s growing influence in the global T20 landscape.