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It was a historic day for Uganda as the side registered their first-ever T20 World Cup win. At the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Wednesday (June 5), Uganda beat Papua New Guinea by three wickets in a tense, low-scoring match on another pitch where batters were not entirely comfortable.
Adding to the historic moment, Uganda's 43-year-old spinner, Frank Nsubuga, set a new world record for bowling the most economical spell in T20 World Cup history.
This has been a rather low-scoring tournament so far - batters have struggled to come to terms with the different pitches and bowlers - both pacers and spinners - have grabbed all the headlines.
We take a look at the five most economical spells in T20 World Cup history (4-over spells):
#5 Wanindu Hasaranga - 3 for 8
The spinners dominated in this match between Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates at Geelong back in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
In the first innings, Sri Lanka was brought down to the mat courtesy of leg-spinner Karthik Meiyappan, who picked up a hat-trick. However, Sri Lanka recovered thanks largely to Pathum Nissanka's 74 off 60 balls and ended with 152.
UAE could never get going in the chase and were reduced to 21 for 4 and then struggled at 42 for 7 before they were eventually rolled over for 73. Wanindu Hasaranga proved to be the pick of the bowlers as he picked up three wickets in his four overs and conceded just eight runs to cap off a good display by Sri Lanka.
#4 Mahmudullah - 1 for 8
This was Bangladesh’s first match of the 2014 T20 World Cup against Afghanistan and the hosts started their campaign perfectly.
Mushfiqur Rahim won the toss and decided to bowl first and his bowlers responded in the best possible manner. They shot out Afghanistan for just 72 runs in 17.1 overs. This was the first time Bangladesh had bowled out an opposition in T20s.
Mahmudullah then stepped in and bowled the most economical spell in T20s for Bangladesh - he conceded just eight runs in four overs while Shakib Al Hasan chipped in with three quick wickets from the other end.
Bangladesh chased down this total in 12 overs and got their campaign off to a thumping start.
#3 Ajantha Mendis - 6 for 8
Man of the Match Ajantha Mendis, who was making a comeback after a long hiatus, delivered a record-breaking performance back in the 2012 T20 World Cup as he picked up six wickets for just eight runs.
Sri Lanka clinched the opening match against Zimbabwe in some style as their spinners were too hot to handle on a conducive pitch. Chasing 183, Zimbabwe fell short by 82 runs as they struggled to get going against both Ajantha and Jeevan Mendis.
Ajantha Mendis was in fine form as his array of mystery deliveries dismantled Zimbabwe's batting lineup. He kept targeting the stumps and accounted for the wickets of Hamilton Masakadza, Vusi Sibanda, Brendan Taylor, Elton Chigumbara, Prosper Utseya, and Kyle Jarvis.
#2 Anrich Nortje - 4 for 7
South Africa started their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign with a commanding win as they bowled out Sri Lanka for their lowest total in T20 history. On a tricky pitch, the batters then huffed and puffed towards the target and chased down 78 in under 17 overs to bag the two points.
The standout bowler for South Africa was Anrich Nortje, who delivered his best performance since making a comeback owing to a stress fracture. After a not-so-impressive IPL, Nortje notched up his career-best figures of 4 for 7.
His spell was highlighted by his exceptional pace as he regularly breached speeds of 150kph. He further confused the batters with his slower deliveries to completely dismantle Sri Lanka’s batting order.
#1 Frank Nsubuga - 2 for 4
On Wednesday, June 5, 43-year-old Frank Nsubuga, who is the oldest player in the 2024 T20 World Cup, scripted history as his side Uganda beat Papua New Guinea to register their first-ever win in a T20 World Cup.
Nsubuga delivered an outstanding bowling spell and achieved the most economical spell (full four overs) in T20 World Cup history. The off-spinner took two wickets for just four runs on a slow and sluggish wicket at Providence Stadium in Guyana.
With this effort, he breezed past Anrich Nortje's figures of 4 for 7 set a few days earlier in the competition against Sri Lanka in New York.
