Most Runs in a Calendar Year in T20I
With the lower-ranked teams playing many T20I games this year, players from these nations feature prominently in 2019’s list of top T20I run-getters. Ireland’s Paul Stirling leads the chart with 748 runs in 20 matches.
He is followed by another Irishman, big-hitting all-rounder Kevin O’Brien, who has 729 runs from 23 matches at a strike rate of 155.43 with one hundred and three fifties. Netherlands’ Max O’Dowd completes the top three list; he amassed 702 runs in 24 games at a strike rate of 120.82 with six fifties.
Among leading cricketing nations, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has had the best year with 466 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 147.93. Kohli hit five fifties in the year.
Further, Rohit Sharma totaled 396 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 138.46 with four half-centuries. Also, Pakistan’s Babar Azam scored 374 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 136.99, while also scoring four fifties.
Here, we take a closer look at the top three batsmen with most T20I runs in a calendar year.
#3 Virat Kohli (641 runs in 2016)
Indian skipper Virat Kohli had a memorable T20I run in 2016. He scored 641 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 140.26 and a stupendous average of 106.83.
Kohli notched up half-centuries in seven of the 13 innings he played in the year, and was not out as many as seven times.
Kohli began the year with a hat-trick of fifties during the T20I series in Australia. He slammed an unbeaten 90 from 55 at Adelaide, 59 not out from 33 at Melbourne, and 50 from 36 at Sydney. India chased down 198 to blank Australia 3-0 despite Shane Watson’s brilliant, unbeaten 124 from 71 balls.
Kohli registered three half-centuries in the World T20 at home even as India bowed out in the semis. After an unbeaten 55 from 37 in the Super 10 clash against Pakistan at Kolkata, he smashed an unbeaten 82 from 51 balls against Australia at Mohali to put India in the semis.
In the semi-final clash against West Indies at Mumbai, Kohli again stood out with a blazing 89 not out from 47 balls. However, Lendl Simmons’ unbeaten 82 from 51 put Windies in the final as they gunned down 193 with ease.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan (689 runs in 2018)
Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan may be struggling in T20Is at present, but in 2018 he was on top of his game. He ended that season as the leading run-scorer with 689 runs in 18 matches at a strike rate of 147.22 and an average of 40.52. The left-hander notched up a total of six fifties in the year.
Dhawan’s career-best of 92 came against West Indies in the 3rd T20 at Chennai in November. The left-hander hit 10 fours and two sixes as India chased down 182 to clinch the series 3-0.
In March, Dhawan slammed 90 from 49 balls with six fours and as many sixes in the first match of the Nidahas Trophy. Kusal Perera’s 37-ball 66, however, led Sri Lanka to victory as they chased down 175.
The southpaw starred with 72 from only 39 balls in the first T20I of the three-match series against South Africa at Johannesburg in February. India defended a target of 204 courtesy of Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s splendid return of 5 for 24.
Dhawan also slammed 76 from 42 in the first T20I of the Australia tour in November. However, India fell short of the Duckworth/Lewis target of 174, losing by four runs.
#1 Paul Stirling (748 runs in 2019)
Ireland’s Paul Stirling amassed 748 runs in 20 matches this year at a strike rate of 140.60 and an average of 41.55. This is now a record for the most T20I runs in a calendar year. Stirling’s feat included eight half-centuries.
His best of 91 from 50 balls came against Afghanistan in the 2nd T20I at Dehradun in February. The brilliant knock, however, was in vain as Hazratullah Zazai’s unbeaten 162 from 62 balls had set them an improbable target of 279.
Stirling began the year with 71 from 51 and 56 from 42 in the Oman Quadrangular T20I Series at Al Amerat. In the 2nd T20I against Zimbabwe at Bready, Stirling blasted an unbeaten 83 from 36 balls with six fours and seven sixes as Ireland chased down 134 with ease.
In October, Stirling registered a hat-trick of half-centuries. After notching up 59 from 47 against Nepal in the Oman Pentangular, he scored 62 from 36 against Hong Kong and 72 from 58 against UAE in the T20 World Cup Qualifier at Abu Dhabi.
