The T20 carnival is now just a few weeks away and prior to the tournament, every team is staged to play some bilateral series’ as part of the preparation for the ICC T20 World cup in Australia. There are going to be some blockbuster matches where runs could go through the roof and we can expect to witness some high scoring matches as well.
Talking about high totals, nowadays scoring 190-200 is not safe anymore. It is almost necessary to have a cushion of 30-40 more runs to put the opposition under pressure. In this article, Sportzcraazy will discuss about the highest totals chased in ICC T20 world cup from 2007-2021.
- England – During the 2016 ICC T20 world cup, South Africa had set up a mammoth total of 229 runs by losing only 4 wickets. Hashim Amla (58), Quinton De Kock(52) and JP Duminy(54) – all three scored half centuries and small cameos from AB de Villiers (16 off 8) and David Miller (28 off 12) saw the South Africans ask for 11.69 runs per over to England in order to chase the total down. In return, the Englishmen went off to a flying start with Jason Roy and Alex Hales scoring 48 runs for the first wicket before the latter was removed by Kyle Abott. Both the openers had a respective strike rate of 268.75 and 242.85 when they got out, however, it was Joe Root who played a key figure behind England’s chase – registering 83 runs and he was accompanied by small contributions from Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler. The South African pacers tried their best to defend the total but the three lions eventually won the match by only 2 wickets with 2 remaining wickets as well.
- South Africa – The South Africans are featured in this list yet again but this time they are not at the receiving end. During the inaugural edition of the ICC T20 world cup in the South Africa, the host nation was asked to chase a total of 206 by the West Indies at Johannesberg. The Universe Boss – Chris Gayle scored the first ever century in the ICC T20 world cup as he departed on the 57th ball of his innings and made 117. The Proteas’ were able to chase the total down by the 17th over and won the match by 8 wickets. Herschelle Gibbs and Greame Smith gave Africans the perfect start – scoring 54 by the 5th over but later it was Gibbs and Justin Kemp who made a partnership of 120 runs with Herschelle Gibbs remaining 90 not out.
- Australia – In the second Semi-Final of the ICC T20 world cup 2010 in West Indies, the Aussies managed to pull off a great victory against the 2009 ICC T20 defending champions Pakistan with a ball to go. The Men in green scored 191 by losing 6 wickets as Kamran Akmal(50) and Umar Akmal (56) both scored half-centuries. Small contributions from Khalid Latif, Salman Butt and Abdul Razzaq helped the Pakistanis put up a fighting total. In response the Kangaroos struggled initially but Cameron White and Micheal Hussey’s crucial knocks took Australia to their first ICC T20 world cup final. Micheal Hussey received the man of the match award as he was 60 not out and maintained a daunting strike rate of 250.
- West Indies – It was Semi-final 2 of the 2016 edition of the ICC T20 world cup and West Indies were locking horns with hosts India. Both the teams were looking to secure a spot in the Finals to face England at the Eden Gardens. India were batting first and openers Rohit Sharma(43) and Ajinkya Rahane(40) gave a good start as they made a partnership of 62 runs for the first wicket. Once Rohit Sharma departed, Virat Kohli took the crease and smashed 89 runs off 47 deliveries. Rahane’s departure in the 15th over saw MS Dhoni come out to bat and hit 15 off 9. The Men in blue accumulated a total of 192 runs by losing only 2 wickets. The West Indies appeared unstoppable in the second innings as opener Johnson Charles plundered 52 runs, but his partner Chris Gayle (5) and first down batter Marlon Samuels both left cheaply (8). The Caribbean team advanced to their second ICC T20 World Cup Final thanks to Lendl Simmons‘ scorching (82) and Andre Russell’s fast fire (43) runs. They went on to upset England in a tantalizing match.
- Netherlands – During the group stages of the ICC T20 World cup 2014, the Dutchmen were squaring off against Ireland. The Irish were batting first at the Sylhet cricket stadium and posted a total of 189 runs. Opener William Potterfield scored 47 off 32, Andrew Poynter departed at 57 and Kevin O’brien provided the finishing touch by firing 42 off just 16 deliveries. Netherlands in the second innings were not in a mood to slow down as they finished the game in 13.5 overs. Every batsman that came out did only one thing that is hit the ball for a boundary. The Dutch opening pair Peter Borren and Stephan Myburgh gathered 91 runs for the first wicket and they had a respective strike rate of 206.66 and 273.91. Once the openers were removed from the pitch, Wesley Barresi(40) and Tom Cooper (45) sealed the victory for Netherlands.
Also Read:- List of highest run scorers in each T20 world cup from 2007 to 2021
