World Twenty20: Shahid Afridi, Rangana Herath Trapped Batsmen in Web of Spin

Since the inaugural edition in 2007, the ICC World Twnety20 has seen some great spells with the ball. While the format may belong to the batsmen, there have occasions when bowlers turned match-winners. Here is a look at the top 10 best bowling feats in the World Twenty20: (All the Latest From the World T20)

1. Ajantha Mendis 6/8 vs Zimbabwe in 2012: Ajantha Mendis proved to be a mystery for Zimbabwe side when Sri Lanka hosted the tournament. Set 183 to win, Mendis blew away six Zimbabweans giving away just eight runs. The most important scalp was that of skipper Brendan Taylor for a duck. Sri Lanka went on to win by 82 runs.(India vs Pakistan in Dharamsala)

Ragana Herath was Sri Lanka's most successful spinner at the 2014 World T20.

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2. Rangana Herath 5/3 vs New Zealand in 2014: After their batsmen had managed just 119, Sri Lanka needed something special from the bowlers. Rangana Herath stepped up and ran through the Kiwis with precision. Five wickets for three runs saw the Black Caps being shot out for 60 and they never knew what hit them. The likes of Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson and Brendon McCullum had no answer to the left-arm spin magic from the wily Lankan.

3. Umar Gul 5/6 vs New Zealand in 2009: A campaign which was worth remembering for Pakistan, it saw some great bowling from lanky pacer Umar Gul in the league stage. Coming on as the sixth bowler, Gul ran through the Kiwis, who lose six wickets for 27 runs to be 100 all out. Pakistan romped home with six wickets to spare and Gul, with five wickets, was the toast of the team.(Narine Aiming to be Ready for World T20)

4. Lasith Malinga 5/31 vs England 2012: England were facing a target of 170 and for a moment looked set to give the hosts a run for their money. However, Lasith Malinga scalped five including the likes of Alex Hales, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow to wreck the visitors' run-chase early on. Sri Lanka won by 19 runs, a convincing margin in Twenty20 cricket.

5. Shahid Afridi 4/11 vs Netherlands: Shahid Afridi has pretty much made this format his own. After Pakistan had made an imposing 175/5, Afridi saw to it that Netherlands never got close. The Dutch may well have fancied their chances after an upset win over hosts England, but Afridi stopped them in their tracks. His four-wicket haul bowled the Dutch out for just 93.

6. Ravichandran Ashwin 4/11 vs Australia in 2014: Australia's weakness against spin was once again exposed. Yuvraj Singh's 60 ensured India put on a decent 159/7. Chasing 160, the Aussies had no answer to Ashwin's off-spin as he removed David Warner, Aaron Finch in quick succession. Ashwin clearly spun fortunes as India won by 73 runs.(Hastings Hopes to Make the Cut for World T20 Squad)

7. Harbhajan Singh 4/12 vs England in 2012: Harbhajan Singh celebrated his return into the Indian team with a match-winning performance aganst England. Chasing 171, the English batsmen were caught in Harbhajan's web as they tried to go for their shots. The off-spinner sent them packing for 80 and it was a big win for MS Dhoni's men.

8. Dale Steyn 4/17 vs New Zealand in 2014: Dale Steyn's lethal spell against New Zealand gave South Africa a last-ball two-run win. Chasing 170, the Kiwis looked good with Ross Taylor leading the way with 62 off 37 balls. Steyn got rid of Williamson, Luke Ronchi and Nathan McCullum and then ran out Taylor off the last ball as New Zealand fell short by two runs in Chittagong.

9. Shakib Al Hasan 4/31 vs West Indies in 2007: Shakib Al Hasan showed early signs that he was suited for this format. His four wickets were instrumental in restricting West Indies to 164/8. A target of 165 was gettable and Bangladesh won by six wickets and two overs to spare. Shakib's victims included Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dinesh Ramdin and Dwayne Bravo.

Irfan Pathan's bowling made the difference in the 2007 World T20 between India and Pakistan.

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10. Irfan Pathan 3/16 vs Pakistan in 2007: Last but not the least, Irfan Pathan's three-wicket haul deserves mention as it came in the first final ever. India had set Pakistan 158 to win. There were moments in the game when Pakistan threatened to make a match of it. Irfan struck ar crucial times to get rid of Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi and Yasir Arafat. India eventually won by five runs to become the first champions of ICC World Twenty20.