We all are certainly familiar with the shortest format of cricket- the T20’s. Unpredictable, engaging, enthralling, exuberant, vivacious.. Phew! Quite a plethora of adjectives would certainly surmise the essence of the most exciting format of the world’s most popular sport.
T20 cricket got its universal fame when the ‘Big-Guns’ tore up in this fire-filled arena. It was bound to have a hell lot of thrilling-entertainment as T20 format boasted power, skill, speed and strategies-worth speculating!
From the fervent spearheads of pace, to the explosive batting tormentors-T20 has been studded with its very own superstars.
We have showcased the mammoth run machines who plundered hundreds of fours and maximums to stand up as the pioneers of the World T20 Cricket.
Following is the list of Top10 run getters in T20 Internationals which includes the Clairvoyant BaZ, The Unorthodox Dilshan, The Fluent Guptill, The Gritty-Dynamo Warner, The Caribbean-Catastrophe Gayle and The Run-Machine Kohli.
1: Brendon McCullum
Blazing, dashing, stylish, tormentor, flamboyant, explosive, fearless! These are just some of the few adjectives which defined the Black Caps ex-Captain- the Legend himself- Brendon McCullum.
His tenure at T20 Internationals spanned from 2005 to 2015, in which he played as many as 70 innings in 71 matches with 10 not-outs on his name. He belted 2140 runs with his career best score of 123. He averages 35.66 which is quite remarkable for an opener in T20I’s. Strike rate of 136.21 tells everything how he chases balls and plunders them in stands! Undoubtedly among the greatest flabbergasting openers the world has ever witnessed-Brendon has 2 tons and 13 half centuries on his name. He has hit as many as 199 fours and 91 sixes in his entire career of T20 format.
2: Tilakratne Dilshan
The ‘Dilscoop’ protagonist and the stylish Sri-Lankan opener- TM Dilshan played from 2006-16 with a span of 10 years. Dilshan played 59 innings in 61 matches and has 1889 runs to his name with high score of 104*. He averages a healthy 28. 19 and has scored with a fantastic strike-rate of 120.5.
In his all-very-glittering tenure, with the help of creative shots in his armory and elegant hands, Dilshan smashed 223 fours and 33 sixes.
3: Martin J Guptill
The New Zealand opener Martin Guptill is widely regarded as among the world's best ODI and T20 openers. He has an experience of 59 innings under his name. His ‘full-blade’ opening style was far more superior and exuberant to watch. His smooth boundaries and monstrous sixes were the remarkable features of his batting features.
Martin has 1806 runs on his name with highest score of 101*. As mentioned he has a much acclaimed average of 34. 73 with an explosive strike rate of 131.44.
He has blended 169 fours and 76 sixes under his name. He has managed 1 ton and 10 fifties during his career.
4: Umar Akmal
The dashing and Stylish middle order ‘dynamo’ has played 77 innings in 82 matches with 14 not outs. He has a run tally of 1690 runs possessing a high score of 94. He has mediocre average of 26.82 and strike rate of 122.90 on his name-which is due to his fiery batting display.
His batting fashion resembles his tenacity and agility. He also has a rare feet achieved- 8 half centuries and Eight Ducks. Having hit 122 fours and 55 sixes, Umar Akmal is the super-entertainment package you wanna wish for as a WK-Batsman in your team.
5: David Warner
The short-statured Aussie; the fearless Pocket Dynamo- David A. Warner is regarded as one of the best aggressive openers the world has ever seen!
Exploiting his explosive proficiency in all three formats of the game, Warner is the first Australian cricketer in 132 years of history to be selected for a national team without any prior experience in first class cricket-Ain’t it magnificent!
Warner has played all 63 innings in 63 matches. He has 1686 runs on his name, with a high score of 90* and averages a healthy 28.10. His shrike rate of 139.56 is the highest among the top 5 run getters in T20 Internationals. He has been devastating opposition bowling units and provides a breezy platform for the middle order to exploit. He has 162 fours and 74 sixes in his T20I’s career. David has 12 half tons on his name which is quite remarkable for an opener.
Also Read: Mahendra Singh Dhoni vs Virat Kohli: Who is a better captain?
6: Virat Kohli
The 21st century’s cricket sensation-Virat Kohli, is the Indian captain who is often regarded as the best batsman in the world; often compared to the master-blaster and the cricketing-legend ‘Sachin Tendulkar’!
Known for his electrifying fielding, aggressive and controlled batting, handy leg-cutters and the X-Factor which he brings to his side, Kohli has grabbed the attention of the entire world due to his virtues and consistent performances over the years.
Kohli has played 41 innings in his 45 matches with 12 not outs. He has a run tally of 1657, which is expected to grow leaps and bounds in his upcoming years as the Indian captain.
Having a record-shattering 50 + averages in all formats of the game (57.13 in T20I’s), Virat Kohli fitfully sits on the throne of the world's best batsman at this instance.
He has an justified strike rate of 135.48 bit with 16 half centuries to his name- record most number of half centuries in T20 Internationals. He has belted a plethora of runs, hitting176 fours and 32 sixes.
7: JP Duminy
The cool headed, collected and talented middle order southpaw- JP Duminy has always shied away from the limelight of success and cricket. An able off-spinner and an excellent finisher, JP Duminy has played 64 innings in 70 matches with 21 not-outs-which is the record highest for not-outs in this entire list. JP has plundered 1654 runs on his name with his career-best total of 96* as his highest score. He has a healthy average of 38. 46 with a respectable strike rate of 123.61. He has all the bases covered and ticked all the checkboxes in his tenure as fulcrum in the Proteas batting unit.
He has 9 half-centuries whilst hitting 122 fours and 56 sixes.
8: Mohammad Hafeez
The current T20 team’s captain Mohammed Hafeez is a specialist opener and operates as a handy off-spinner. In his cricketing tenure of 2012-13, he was ranked atop in the T20 all-rounds listings.
He is well acclaimed for his aggressive style and has a defensive gear too. Paradox- in his approached Hafeez switches gears from explosive to defensive within seconds-which gives an insight of his organized technique.
Hafeez averages a mediocre 22. 73 with strike rate of 115.03. In his T20I’s career, he has managed to gain 5 half centuries with 131 fours and 32 sixes.
9: Shoaib Malik
The former captain of Pakistani side and the current groom of India’s Tennis Queen Sania Mirza-Shoaib Malik, has played 76 innings in 82 matches with 20 not outs.
He has scored 1548 runs with 75 as his highest T20I score. He has an average of 27. 64- which is quite good for a lower-order batsman. Well known for his ability to clear the fence, he has a respectable strike-rate of 113. 90. He has fired 131 fours and 32 sixes till this date.
10: Chris Gayle
What do I say about this superstar! The entire world knows him and is in love with him. You can call him by any name such as ‘The Caribbean Powerhouse’ ‘Universe-boss’ ‘Swashbuckling Southpaw’ ‘Jamaican Jumbo’ etc. His real name goes ‘Christopher Henry Gayle’.
Speaking of the records in the domestic T20 competitions (such as IPL, BBL, etc.), Gayle has the joint-fastest T20 century (17 balls) and the Highest individual score in a T20 encounter (175* in 66 balls). He is only cricketer to have a triple century in Tests, double century in ODI’s and a hundred in T20I’s- which shows the exceptional caliber of this superstar!
Having a look at his T20 statistics, he has played 47 innings in 50 matches with 4 not outs. He has 1519 runs as his Run Tally in T20 Internationals, with high score of 117. The average is a fantastic for an opener which is 35.52. He has breezy strike rate of 145.49- the record highest in the Top10 T20 Internationals run getters.
Chris has smashed 134 and 98 maximums-which is yet another record for the most number of sixes by batsman in T20 Internationals. He has 2 tons and 13 half-centuries to his name.
