The men's death-overs specialists every captain wants

The death overs are where T20 matches are won and lost, where batters swing freely and bowlers operate on the finest of margins. A single poor over can concede 20-plus runs, so the men who keep the runs down between overs 16 and 20 are worth their weight in gold. Across T20 internationals and the major leagues, with a minimum of 600 legal balls bowled at the death, one name stands alone.

Sunil Narine is the undisputed king. His economy of 6.94 in overs 16-20 is remarkable, especially given the sheer volume of his work: 2,678 legal balls, by far the heaviest workload on this list. To bowl that many deliveries at the business end and still concede under seven an over is elite in the truest sense, and his 184 wickets prove he offers control and threat in equal measure.

Behind him, Saeed Ajmal's 7.15 from 608 balls ranks second, while Wanindu Hasaranga (7.81) and the brilliant Jasprit Bumrah (7.90) round out the group under eight an over. Bumrah's 155 wickets from 2,101 balls underline why captains hand him the ball when the game is on the line.

Rashid Khan (7.95) and Lasith Malinga (8.03) follow closely, with Malinga's 176 wickets a reminder of his lethal yorkers. Dale Steyn (8.06), Imran Tahir (8.07), Ravichandran Ashwin (8.12) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (8.24) complete the top ten.

What ties them together is reliability under pressure. When batters are programmed to attack, keeping the economy low requires skill, nerve and repeatable execution. These are the bowlers every captain wants with the ball in hand when five overs separate victory from defeat.