Mustafizur Rahman named in Wisden’s men’s T20 team of the year

Mustafizur Rahman enjoyed an outstanding year across international cricket and various franchise T20 leagues, and that consistency has now earned formal recognition. Wisden, the cricket-focused website, has selected its men's T20 team of the year for this edition by assessing performances across all recognised T20 matches, and Bangladesh's left-arm pacer has found a place in the XI chosen by the publication's editorial team.

With the 2026 T20 World Cup approaching, the number of international matches in this format increased towards the end of last year, alongside a packed calendar of franchise T20 leagues throughout the year. Wisden said the team was selected after evaluating performances across all forms of recognised T20 cricket.

Highlighting Mustafizur's impact, the website wrote that among bowlers who delivered at least 150 overs in 2025, no one came close to his bowling average of 18.03. No pacer was as economical as him during the year, and only Caribbean all-rounder Jason Holder managed a better strike rate. Throughout the year, Mustafizur consistently kept runs in check while taking wickets at regular intervals.

In recognised T20 cricket last year, Mustafizur took 59 wickets in 43 innings, conceding runs at an economy rate of 6.78. His strike rate stood at 15.9, with best figures of 3 for 11. Over the year, he bowled a total of 156.5 overs. Holder, meanwhile, bowled the most overs—250.2—and finished with a tournament-high 97 wickets. Although Holder's strike rate was slightly better at 15.4, his average was higher at 21.42.

The team has been selected with two specialist spinners, two specialist pacers and two pace-bowling all-rounders. India's Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine form the spin attack. In pace bowling, Mustafizur is joined by New Zealand's Jacob Duffy, while Sam Curran and Holder feature as pace-bowling all-rounders.

India's Abhishek Sharma and England's Phil Salt open the batting. Across all recognised T20s last year, Abhishek scored three centuries, striking at a remarkable rate of 202.01. In 40 innings, he amassed 1,602 runs at an average of 41.07 and also picked up 10 wickets. Wisden noted that Abhishek became the first cricketer to score 1,000 runs in a calendar year while scoring at two runs per ball.

Salt scored 1,575 runs in 52 innings at a strike rate of 153.35. Representing England and in the IPL, he struck at 176 during the year and also serves as the team's wicketkeeper.

South Africa's Dewald Brevis and Donovan Ferreira, along with Australia's Tim David, complete the batting line-up. Wisden's editorial team identified Ferreira as one of the most destructive boundary-hitters in the middle overs. Last year, the middle-order batter struck a six every 6.6 balls and a four every 3.9 balls.

Brevis, meanwhile, batted at a strike rate of over 180 across three franchise T20 leagues—the IPL, SA20 and The Hundred. Batting between positions three and seven, he maintained a strike rate of more than 170.