Players To Hit Most Runs In The 20th Over Of A T20I Innings
The drama of a T20 game often reaches its peak in the 20th over. Here’s a list of most runs in the 20th over of a T20I innings.
Driven by the ambition to take a psychological edge over the opponent going into the second half or to close out the contest, teams give us some enthralling cricket to savour in it.
The quality of death-overs bowling has never been better but the bat still dominates the ball more often in the 20th over of a T20 game. And so, we witness some outstanding display of batsmanship in the final stages.
Here’s a list of players with the most runs scored in the 20th over of a T20 International.
1. Most runs in the 20th over: 24 – David Miller off Faheem Ashraf, 2021
Known for his explosiveness, David Miller featuring in such a list is hardly surprising as he smashed Pakistan fast-bowler Faheem Ashraf for 24 runs in the final over of a recent third T20I in Lahore.
Miller played an authoritative knock to take South Africa out of the trouble waters in the series-decider. The Proteas were reeling at 48/6 when their talisman took the onus upon himself to resurrect things and ended with a superlative 85 not out off just 45 balls.
It was a tremendous innings, which saw him blaze his willow against Ashraf for four sixes to give the visitors a defendable 164/8. To Miller’s disappointment, however, his effort wasn’t good enough in the end for a South African victory as Pakistan won the game and the series 2-1.
2. Most runs in the 20th over: 24 – Carlos Brathwaite off Ben Stokes, 2016
This might be the most unforgettable 20th over of a T20I match in the game’s recent history.
The final of the previous edition of the T20 World Cup in India had West Indies needing 19 runs off the last six balls against England in Kolkata.
The three lions had till then done a fantastic job of keeping the Calypso Kings in check defending their modest total of 155/9. But they lost it all to a final flourish of unbelievable quality from Carlos Brathwaite, who smashed Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes.
Brathwaite left his imprint on the tournament when it mattered the most as West Indies successfully got back their world champions crown.
3. Most runs in the 20th over: 26 – Aaron Finch off Kyle Jamieson, 2021
The final over of the 4th T20I in Wellington saw Australia skipper Aaron Finch bludgeoned New Zealand quick Kyle Jamieson for 26 runs. Finch, not so highly ranked for his powerhitting, smashed Jamieson for four sixes in the over, including three on the bounce.
Finch batted superbly for his unbeaten innings of 79 from 55 balls and helped his team reach a fighting 156/6 without much support at the other end.
The captain’s knock made a big difference at the end as the visitors eventually won to level the five-match series 2-2 with the decider to go.
4. Most runs in the 20th over: 28 – Marlon Samuels off Rubel Hossain in 2012
The record for the highest number of runs in the 20th over of a T20I match remains with West Indies’ Marlon Samuels.
Samuels, an enigmatic cricketer and character, who helped the Calypso Kings win the finals of the 2012 and 2016 T20 World Cups, had his lesser-known moment versus Bangladesh eight years back.
The right-hand batter smashed pacer Rubel Hossain for 28 runs in the 20th over of the only T20I of the tour in Dhaka.
Samuels’ knock of 85 not out from 43 balls helped the visitors reach a huge total of 197/4 in their 20 overs. West Indies then restricted the hosts to 179 and eventually won the game by 18 runs. For his effort, Samuels was awarded the ‘Player of the Match’.