Former Melbourne Renegades fast bowler Cameron Stevenson has been included in USA's T20I squad for the first time. This is one of several changes to the group headed to Zimbabwe next month for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier B tournament, from July 10 to 17.

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2024: The qualifying pathway to begin in June

Stevenson has played 12 ODIs for the USA, including five during the recent tour of Texas, since making his List A debut for the national team in the CWI Super50 tournament at Trinidad in November 2019. However, he has not played a T20 match since suiting up for the Renegades on New Year's Day 2017, when he took the wicket of Kevin Pietersen at the MCG in a seven-run win over Melbourne Stars.

Stevenson effectively takes a spot made available by the absence of Ian Holland, who was the USA's standout player at the ICC Americas T20 World Cup Qualifier in Antigua last November when his team-leading 10 wickets in six matches propelled the USA to a first-place finish and a spot in Zimbabwe. But Holland is unavailable to tour Zimbabwe due to his County cricket commitments at Hampshire.

The trickle-down effect of the Covid-effected T20I series against Ireland in December has also had an impact on USA's squad for Zimbabwe. Sushant Modani and Yasir Mohammad have retained their spots in USA's T20I squad after impressing as last-minute replacements against Ireland when four players - including Steven Taylor and vice-captain Aaron Jones - were ruled out in December due to Covid.

USA T20I squad for the T20 World Cup Qualifiers :

Monank Patel (C & wk)
Aaron Jones (vice-captain)
Marty Kain
Ali Khan
Jaskaran Malhotra
Sushant Modani
Yasir Mohammad
Saurabh Netravalkar
Nisarg Patel, Gajanand Singh
Cameron Stevenson
Steven Taylor
Rusty Theron
Vatsal Vaghela

Read also: Travis Head ruled out of the final ODI with a hamstring issue

USA's squad leaves later this month to begin their preparation for the T20 World Cup Qualifier. They will play four T20 matches in Namibia - two each against Namibia and Jersey - before moving on to Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, they will play two more warmup matches against the Netherlands on July 6 and 7.

USA has been placed in Group A of the Qualifier to be staged in Bulawayo where they will face Jersey, Singapore, and Zimbabwe. The top two teams in each four-team group will advance to the semi-finals where the two winners will advance to the T20 World Cup in Australia this October. Hong Kong, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, and Uganda are in Group B.

The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 has started from Thursday, but the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian team will start its campaign from Friday. India will face New Zealand in its first match of Group A.

In statistics, the New Zealand team's record against India has been good, but the Indian team has come into this tournament fully prepared and has the power to beat any team on its day.

Also Read: ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024: SAW vs WIW preview; head to head; when and where to watch

The role of spinners will be important

There is every possibility that India will play only two fast bowlers in the match against New Zealand and will have to rely more on spinners. India has exceptional variety in the spin department. The attack will be led by off-spinners Deepti Sharma and Shreyanka Patil, leg-spinner Asha Sobhana and left-arm spinner Radha Yadav. The deteriorating pitches may help India's spinners, who are the team's strong suit.

New Zealand team can give a surprising performance in the tournament

The New Zealand team also has a good mix of experienced and young players, due to which the team's claim is strong. Captain Sophie Devine, experienced all-rounder Suzie Bates, and experienced fast bowlers Lea Tahuhu and Leigh Kasperek form the backbone of the team. Young all-rounder Amelia Kerr is also an important part of the team and the New Zealand team can give a surprising performance in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. 

Mandhana is in great form

India will be hoping for significant contributions from its top players 35-year-old Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma. Shafali and Mandhana are in great form. They scored in their last international match in the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in July but India lost to the hosts in the final.

Mandhana has scored three half-centuries in the last five T20 innings. However, Harmanpreet's performance has been somewhat disappointing and her form is essential for India's top and middle order.

Also Read: ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Squads of every team

India will aim to end title drought

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who is probably playing her last T20 World Cup, has been witness to several near misses and disappointing moments of the title, including the defeat against Australia in the final in Melbourne in the T20 World Cup 2020. Like in the past, this Indian team is also full of talent.

Defending champions Australia have six T20 World Cup titles, while India are waiting for their first title. New Zealand are two-time runners-up and a win against them can be taken as a sign of being in good shape strategically and mentally. It will be important for India to start with a win as Australia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are also in this group.

INDW vs NZW: Head-To-Head

Both the India women and New Zealand women have faced each other 13 times. Out of these games, the Indian women have won 4 times whereas the New Zealand women have emerged out victorious on 9 occasions. 

INDW vs NZW: Squads

INDW:

Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia (subject to fitness), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil (subject to fitness), Sajana Sajeevan.

NZW:

Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Melie Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.

Also Read: ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 Schedule: India to play New Zealand first, followed by Pakistan

INDW vs NZW: Live Streaming Details

When is India Vs New Zealand Women's T20 World Cup 2024 match 4?

The INDW vs NZW match 4 will be held on October 4, Friday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium at 7:30 PM IST.

Where to watch India Vs New Zealand Women's T20 World Cup 2024 match 4 in India?

The The INW vs NZW match 4 will be aired live on the Star Sports Network in India. The match will be available to live stream on the Disney+Hotstar app and website in India.

The T20I cricket, known for its fast-paced and thrilling genre, has revolutionized the game since its inception. The shorter version has encouraged aggressive batting, innovative bowling, and extraordinary fielding, leading to several T20I records being set and broken with astonishing frequency. However, amidst this achievements, certain T20I records stand out for their sheer magnitude and seem almost untouchable. Let's take a look at the greatest T20I records that will stand the test of time.

Also Read: The Greatest Test Matches in Recent Cricket History

Fastest T20I Century Record

Scoring a century in cricket is a remarkable achievement, but in the fast-paced world of T20 cricket, where deliveries are limited, hitting a hundred becomes even more impressive. Chris Gayle, renowned as the ‘Universe Boss,’ held the record for the fastest T20I century in just 30 balls, achieved during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in 2013 until recently. In June 2024, Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan set a new world record for the fastest century in T20 cricket. During a bilateral series match against Cyprus, Chauhan reached his hundred in just 27 balls.

Most Runs in a T20I Career

West Indies batting legend Chris Gayle has scored the most runs in T20I cricket. Gayle made 14,562 runs in 463 T20I matches while playing for as many as 28 different teams. This includes the West Indies cricket team, Team Punjab, Kolkata and Bangalore in the Indian T20 League as well as Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators from the Pakistan Super League among others.

During his career that started in 2005, Gayle hit a whopping 22 hundreds and 88 fifties. This return is the most any player has ever managed in the shortest format. On top of that, he is also the only player to hit more than 1000 sixes in T20I cricket, having notched 1056 maximums during his career.

Highest T20I Strike Rates

Australian former batter, Peter Nevill had an outstanding batting strike rate of 227.27 across 9 T20I matches, securing the top position in the list of batsmen with the highest T20 batting strike rate. Trailing behind is Scott Kuggeleijn , who has maintained a commendable batting strike of 213.51 over 18 T20 matches, followed closely by Taranjit Singh with a strike rate of 213.04 in 9 T20 matches.

Best Bowling Performances

In 2023, Syazrul Idrus of Malaysia delivered an exceptional performance against China. He achieved the best bowling figures in T20I history by taking a 7 wickets and conceding only 8 runs. Harsha Bharadwaj, who played for Singapore in the T20, showed his remarkable bowling skills by taking 6 wickets in an innings while only conceding 3 runs in 4 overs. This outstanding performance puts him right after Syazrul Idrus as one of the best bowlers in the history of T20.

Highest Team Totals

The Nepal men's team holds the record for the highest score in T20 cricket. They scored 314/3 vs Mongolia at the Asian Games 2023. It is also the highest score in T20 internationals (T20I) and the first time that the 300-mark was breached in the shortest format of the men's game. Sunrisers Hyderabad scored second highest score in T20I cricket. They smashed 287/3 against Royal Challengers Bangalore during IPL 2024.

Before Nepal and Hyderabad, Afghanistan and the Czech Republic jointly held the record for the highest team total in T20I history.

Also Read: Joe Root vs Sachin Tendulkar: Who is ahead after 145 Test matches? Full analysis

Record-Breaking Six-Hitters

Rohit Sharma has smashed the most number of sixes (205) in T20I histroy. Rohit has played a total of 159 matches and has scored 4,231 runs at an average of 32.05. Rohit Sharma followed by Martin Guptill (173 sixes), Nicholas Pooran (144 sixes), Jos Buttler (137 sixes), Suryakumar Yadav (136 sixes) and Glenn Maxwell (134 sixes) on top five among the list. 

Unbeatable Partnership Records

Afghanistan’s Hazratullah Zazai and Usman Ghani hold the men’s record for the highest partnership in T20. The duo put on 236 runs for the opening wicket vs Ireland in 2019. Meanwhile, in women’s cricket, the duo of Lucia Taylor and Albertina Galan of Argentina hold the record for the highest partnership in T20 cricket. The two put on 350 runs for the opening wicket against Chile Women in 2023 during the first T20I of a bilateral series between the two nations.

The Indian Women's Cricket Team will take on arch-rivals Pakistan on October 6 as per the new and updated Women's T20 World Cup fixture released by ICC on Monday. The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024, which is all set to begin on October 3, was scheduled to be held in Bangladesh but was moved due to security reasons. Post that, ICC decided to shift the tournament to UAE with BCB still being the hosts of the marquee tournament. 

Read Also: T20I Records by Virat Kohli

India will start their campaign against the Kiwis 

The groups are still the same. Defending champion Australia are in Group A alongside India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Group B consists of South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh and Scotland. Each side will play four group matches, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the semi-finals.

The two semis will be played on October 17 and 18 and the final in Dubai on October 20. There is also a reserve day for both the semi-finals and the final.

If India advances from the group stage, they will feature in the first semi-final. 10 warm-up matches will be played from September 28 to October 1.

Team India will play their tournament opener against New Zealand on 4th October in Dubai followed by the much-awaited match against arch-rival Pakistan on 6th October at the same venue.

The Indian Women's team will then play against the defending champions Australia on 13th October in Sharjah.

Read Also: Top 10 T20I records which might shock you

ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Fixture and Schedule

Former Indian skipper and star batsman Virat Kohli said goodbye to T20I cricket after playing a key role in helping India win the T20 World Cup 2024. Kohli's 76 off 59 balls against South Africa was his last innings in a T20I for India, and it did not go in vain. He did not have to think twice to pass the baton to the next-gen players to take the team into the future.

Also Read: Most Test centuries in overseas by active batters

Virat Kohli's career for the Indian team in T20I cricket was very brilliant. Virat played T20 cricket for Team India for 14 years. He made his debut in this format in 2010 against Zimbabwe. After this, he appeared in a total of 125 matches for India in which Kohli smashed many T20I records. 

As Kohli bid farewell to the T20 World Cup on a high note, lifting the trophy in his final appearance in the tournament, let's take a look at his T20I records in the format.

Virat Kohli's T20I Records 

• Second most runs in T20I career: Virat Kohli has amassed 4188 runs in T20Is, the second-most by any player, only behind Rohit Sharma's 4231 runs. Notably, Kohli achieved this in 34 fewer innings than Rohit. Both Kohli and Rohit, who retired from the format on June 29, are the only players to have scored 4000+ runs in all three international formats.
• Unbeaten 122 in an T20I innings: Kohli ended the long wait for a hundred in international cricket after he struck a high-quality 122 not out off 61 balls against Afghanistan in Asia Cup 2022. His unbeaten effort off 61 balls got him his first hundred since November 2019 and his 71st overall, equalling Ricky Ponting's tally of international centuries. He is now only behind Sachin Tendulkar in the all-time list.
• 6th most runs in a Calendar Year: Kohli has scored sixth most runs in a Calendar Year. In 2022, he’s made 781 runs in 20 matches at an average of 55.78 and a strike rate of 138.23.
• Played brilliant knock in a match on the losing side: Virat Kohli played a brilliant knock of 89 runs off 47 balls to guide India to 192/2 against West Indies in the semifinal of the ICC World Twenty20 2016. This was Kohli’s third unbeaten T20I half-century in the tournament.
• 472 runs on a single ground: Virat Kohli has a special liking for the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka as the India skipper has scored 472 runs in 10 innings at the venue.
• Most runs in an innings by a captain: When it comes to chases in the game, Kohli stands in a league of his own. India were chasing a mammoth target of 28 runs against West Indies. Virat scored a 35-ball fifty and then piled another 44 off next 15 balls. He remained unbeaten on 94 off 50 balls, with six fours and six sixes, and India made 209/4 in 18.4 overs to win the game.

The popularity of cricket has grown leaps and bounds in the last two decades and T20, the shortest format of the sport, has been at the heart of the surging mass appeal. For the uninitiated, T20I cricket is an action-packed affair.

It is said that any record in cricket is meant to be broken. Here are the top 10 T20I records which might shock you. 

Also Read: Most Test centuries in overseas by active batters

T20I Records | Top 10

39 runs in an over

Samoa's wicketkeeper batsman Darius Visser made a new world record for scoring the most runs in an over in T20I cricket. In this matter, he has left behind legends like Yuvraj Singh and Kieron Pollard. 

In the recent ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional East Asia-Pacific Qualifier A match, Samoa faced Vanuatu, with Darius scoring 39 runs in the 15th over. He hit six sixes in the over off Vanuatu bowler Nalin Nipiko with the help of Nipiko's three no balls. During his innings, Darius played a explosive inning of 132 runs in 62 balls. He hit 14 sixes and 5 fours, just four less than the most sixes hit by a batsman in a men's T20I.

18 sixes in an innings

Estonia batter Sahil Chauhan broke many T20I records during a T20I match against Cyprus in June this year. He broke West Indies legend Chris Gayle's record for the fastest century in T20 cricket history by reaching the milestone in just 27 balls. During his knock, Sahil also smashed 18 sixes which is the most in an innings. His runs came at a strike rate of over 351.

Playing just his fourth T20I, Chauhan 144* off 41 balls to obliterate records. Batting at No.4, the right-hander scored 144 of Estonia’s 194 runs to propel the team to a six-wicket win as Estonia chased the 192 set by Cyprus with seven overs to spare. 

First seven-wicket haul in T20I

During the inaugural match of the T20 World Cup Asia B Qualifier, Malaysia's fast bowler Syazrul Idrus became the first bowler to bag seven wickets in a T20I, and that too, without a single catch involved. All his victims fell to his inswing deliveries, which knocked down their stumps, implying the immense control and skill Idrus possesses. This feat surpassed Peter Aho's previous record of taking six wickets for Nigeria against Sierra Leone in 2021.

Idrus crowned his spell with a maiden over, in which he scalped two more batters, ending with an incredible figure of 4-1-7-8. 

Fastest T20I fifty 

Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee holds the record for the fastest fifty in T20I cricket, courtesy his astonishing nine-ball half-century scored vs Mongolia at the Asian Games 2023 in a group stage match. The knock is also the fastest 50 in T20Is. Before the Nepalese batter, former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh held the record for the fastest 50 in T20 cricket for almost 16 years. 

Dipendra scored an unbeaten 52 off just 10 balls. The record knock featured an astonishing eight sixes. It also included six successive sixes, of which five came in the penultimate over.

Highest team total 

Nepal batters smashed three T20I records en route to becoming the first team to amass a 300-plus total against Mongolia in the Asian Games 2023. The previous record for the highest innings total in a T20I was held by Afghanistan, who had amassed 278 for 3 against Ireland on February 23, 2019.

Currently, Nepal hold the record for the highest T20 score - 314/3. It is also the highest score in T20I and the first time that the 300-mark was breached in the shortest format of the men's game.

Fastest T20I century

Estonia batter Sahil Chauhan holds the record for the fastest century in T20I cricket after racing to his 100 in just 27 balls against Cyprus in a bilateral series match in June 2024. Chasing Cyprus' score of 191/7, Chauhan smashed an unbeaten 144 off 41 balls to take his team home in the 13th over and six wickets to spare. 

First, Nepal's Kushal Malla held the record for the fastest century in T20 cricket before Chauhan. He registered the feat in just 34 balls against Mongolia. Then Namibia's Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton bettered it by one ball five months later against Nepal. 

Highest individual score on debut 

Canada’s Matthew Spoors holds the record for the highest score on T20 debut in men’s cricket. Playing for Canada against the Philippines in the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 match in Muscat, Spoors scored an unbeaten 108 in 66 balls after coming to bat as an opener. The debutant laced his innings with 14 fours and three sixes and guided Canada to 216/1 in 20 overs. The Philippines, in response, could only manage 98/5.

Previously, the honour belongs to Ricky Ponting, who made an unbeaten 98* in the first-ever T20I. 

Also Read: Most Test centuries in the World Test Championship

4 maidens in an innings

Lockie Ferguson became the first bowler to deliver four maiden overs in a T20I match. He achieved this feat during the clash against Papua New Guinea in Trinidad in T20 World Cup 2024. Ferguson bowled four consecutive maiden overs while picking up three wickets.

Overall, this is only the second instance in T20 internationals where a bowler has bowled four maidens in an innings. Before this, only Canada’s Saad Bin Zafar has achieved this feat, against Panama in 2021.

Youngest player to debut in T20I

Romania’s Marian Gherasim has become the youngest player ever to play a T20I game at the age of 14 years and 16 days on 16 October. He made the record when he played the second T20 of their bilateral series against Bulgaria at the Ilfov County ground.

Gherasim broke the record of Kuwait’s Meet Bhavsar who had made his T20 debut against Maldvives at the age of 14 years and 211 days in January last year. 

Highest career average 

Sami Sohail of Malawi has the highest career average with an exceptional batting average of 63.35*. Since 2019, he has amassed 832 runs, showcasing his consistency and power with a formidable strike rate of 117.01. He is just above Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan and India’s superstar Virat Kohli.