The greatest T20 player: Lasith Malinga or Dwayne Bravo?

It's down to the final eight! The player with more votes progresses to the semi-finals.

Lasith Malinga
Wickets 390 Ave 19.69 ER 7.08

Malinga's slingy action, cunning changes of pace, and pinpoint yorkers at the death put him in pole position to be considered the best in the format. Among fast bowlers with at least 200 T20 wickets, no one averages better than his 19.69. Second to Dwayne Bravo on the wicket-taking charts in T20 cricket, Malinga is the only bowler with over 100 wickets in T20Is. Half of his 390 wickets have come for the Mumbai Indians, and he's the leading wicket-taker in the IPL. He took the most wickets in the 2011 edition, and followed that up with a Player-of-the-Tournament performance in the franchise's first title win, in the Champions League T20. He has since gone on to win four IPL titles with Mumbai Indians. In 2014, he led Sri Lanka to the T20 World Cup title, taking up the captaincy midway into the tournament. Many would have thought his T20 career was on the wane when he was appointed Mumbai Indians' bowling mentor in 2018 after going unsold at the IPL auction. Come 2019, Malinga took a wicket off the final ball in a one-run thriller in the IPL final, and later that year conjured a magical four in four for his country.

Dwayne Bravo
Runs 6307Ave 23.89 SR 126.82
Wickets 497 Ave 24.52 ER 8.24

The leading wicket-taker in the format, Bravo is three wickets away from becoming the first to 500. Out of those 497 wickets, 279 have come between overs 17 and 20 - the most by any bowler in this phase. It's Bravo's control over his variations - particularly the slower balls and the ability to deliver them from various points - that make him difficult to get away in the slog overs. He has been a serial topper across leagues when it comes to the wicket charts - the 2009 Champions League T20, the IPL in 2013 and 2015, the CPL 2015 and in 2016, the BPL in 2016-17, and the BBL in 2017-18. His bowling numbers overshadow his batting since he often bats low down the order, but he still has over 6000 runs in the format and can be a handy finisher when on song. "Champion" Bravo has won 13 tournament finals across the world, and he has led the Trinbago side to three CPL titles - he was Player of the Tournament in their first win, in 2015. And don't forget his electric fielding, a couple of examples of which are here and here.

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