In Numbers - The Highs and Lows at T20 World Cups
With the 2016 World T20 right around the corner, teams and the fans across the world are all set to witness yet another action-packed and thrilling edition of the T20 World Cup. With Indian pitches usually known to be batsman-friendly, high expectations ride on the fact that teams will put up big scores and almost any total can be chased down by their counterparts.
Over the years, the T20 World Cup has witnessed numerous great matches, close finishes and a collective pool of some very brilliant team and individual performances. When put in numbers, the respective displays seem even more remarkable.
Highest Totals by Teams
Sri Lankan batsmen slaughtered the Kenyans in the opening edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007 as they put up a mammoth total of 260/6 in their allotted 20 overs. In the same edition, thanks to Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes in an over, India managed to get to a total of 218/4 which is still the second-highest team total.
Interestingly though, the teams that appear in the Top-50 list most number of times are Pakistan (7) and England (7) and not the likes of India, Australia and South Africa who are traditionally known for their batting strength.
Most Runs
Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene tops the list for the most runs scored in T20 World Cups (1016 runs) with big-hitting West Indian Chris Gayle needing 210 more runs to surpass him at the top spot. The highest-ranked Indian in the list is Rohit Sharma, followed by Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli in the Top-15 names.
Lowest Totals by Teams
Netherlands hold the infamous distinction of having the lowest team total in T20 World Cup when they were bundled out for 39 by the Sri Lankans in 2014. The Sri Lankans also restricted New Zealand to the 2 lowest score in the same edition as they wrapped up the New Zealand innings for a total of 60 runs. Afghanistan feature the most number of times in the top-10 as they have appear 3 times on the list.
Most Wickets
Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga tops the list for the most wickets in T20 World Cups with 38 wickets so far. He is closely followed by Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal (36), Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi and fellow countryman Ajanta Mendis who have 35 wickets each. With Lasith Malinga’s recurring injury scare, Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has a great chance to claim the top spot from Malinga by the end of the tournament.
Highest averages
India’s Virat Kohli leads the charts for the highest average at T20 World Cup with an average of 72.00. Former Aussie star Michael Hussey and Indian opener Rohit Sharma follow him in that list. Virat Kohli has played over 10 matches less than the other two, and it remains to be seen if Kohli can end the tournament at first position.
Highest Individual scores
Former Kiwi skipper Brendon McCullum holds the record for the highest Individual score at a T20 World Cup match with his explosive 58-ball 123 against Bangladesh in 2012. Chris Gayle’s 117 runs against South Africa in the opening match of the first-ever T20 World Cup edition in 2007 comes in at second place. It would be surprising if this record does not go for a toss this time, given the matches are going to be on 'Indian' pitches.
Most Runs and Wickets in each edition
With four out of the five editions of the T20 World Cup so far being played among 12 teams, not much variation could be observed in the number of runs scored in the first editions, but there is a significant drop in the number of wickets for the 2012 edition held in Sri Lanka. The last edition in 2014 was a 16-team event, hence the number of runs and wickets cannot be taken in direct comparison with the previous editions.
