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A Twenty20 International (T20I) is an international cricket match between two teams, each having T20I status, as determined by the International Cricket Council (ICC). In a Twenty20 match, the two teams play a single innings, each of which is restricted to a maximum of 20 overs. The format was originally introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board for the county cricket competition with the first matches contested on 13 June 2003 between the English counties in the Twenty20 Cup. The first Twenty20 International match took place on 17 February 2005 when Australia defeated New Zealand by forty-four runs at Eden Park in Auckland.
A five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer") refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded by the critics as a "notable" achievement. The first five-wicket haul in T20Is was taken by Pakistan's Umar Gul while playing against New Zealand at the 2009 ICC World Twenty20. Gul's bowling analysis of five wickets for six runs remained a record in T20Is for almost two years before Sri Lankan cricketer Ajantha Mendis took six wickets for sixteen runs against Australia in 2011. This was bettered by Mendis himself a year later during the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 while playing against Zimbabwe; he took six wickets for eight runs. Rangana Herath's five wickets for three runs remain the most economical figures for any bowler in the format.
As of March 2017, a total of 22 five-wicket hauls have been taken by 20 different players in T20Is. Mendis and Gul are the only players to take more than one five-wicket haul in the format. Sri Lanka leads the list with four five-wicket hauls. England and Zimbabwe are the only full members of the ICC that are yet to have a player take a five-wicket haul. Players from associate teams such as Kenya and Netherlands have taken one five-wicket haul each, whilst Scotland and Afghanistan have taken two five-wicket hauls each.
Five-wicket hauls
The list includes all players who have taken a five-wicket haul in men's Twenty20 International and is arranged chronologically.