The Greatest T20I Records That Will Stand the Test of Time

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.