In the T20I format, batters have to score quick runs, that too in the limited number of balls. So, we often see batters going bonkers from the word go to make the most out of it.
And despite the limited number of balls on offer, many batters have accumulated brilliant scores by shattering records. The openers have a bit of an upper hand when it comes to scoring big knocks, however, few notable batters have done the unthinkable by coming down the order.
On that note, let’s look at the highest scores smashed by batters at each batting position in T20Is.
Highest Scores at Each Batting Position in T20I
| Position/No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opener | Aaron Finch – 172 | Hazratullah Zazai – 162* | Aaron Finch – 156 | Glenn Maxwell – 145* | Zeeshan Kukikhel – 137 |
| No. 3 | Kushal Malla – 137* | Brendon McCullum – 123 | Babar Hayat – 122 | Tilak Varma – 120* | Faf du Plessis – 119 |
| No. 4 | Sahil Chauhan – 144* | Sikandar Raza – 133* | Darius Visser – 132 | Glenn Maxwell – 120* | Rakep Patel – 120 |
| No. 5 | David Miller – 106* | Sivakumar Periyalwar – 105* | Sudesh Wickramasekara – 104* | Varun Thamotharam – 104* | Mark Chapman – 104* |
| No. 6 | Shaheryar Butt – 125* | Sam Billings – 87 | Cameron White – 85* | David Miller – 85* | Mohammad Nabi – 84* |
| No. 7 | Mohammad Nabi – 89 | Norman Vanua – 71 | Andre Russell – 71 | Sher Sahak – 70* | Dinesh Nakrani – 67 |
| No. 8 | Saber Zakhil – 100* | Isuru Udana – 84* | Salum Jumbe – 76* | Mark Adair – 72 | Iftikhar Ahmed – 60 |
| No. 9 | Mukesh Thakur – 49 | Ali Nayyer – 48* | Naseem Khushi – 47* | Anwar Ali – 46 | Romario Shepherd – 44* |
| No. 10 | Akeal Hosein – 44* | Fitri Sham – 40* | Sompal Kami – 40 | Mohammad Adnan – 38* | Faraz Akram – 34* |
| No. 11 | Khalid Ahmadi – 31* | Paul van Meekeren – 24 | Obed McCoy – 23* | Kepler Lukies – 23* | Azmatullah Omarzai – 21 |
Key Insights
172: Aaron Finch sits at the top with the highest-ever individual score in T20Is. And his 172 against Zimbabwe is also the highest as an opening batter. Moreover, Finch is the only batter with 2 150+ scores.
5: India’s prolific batter Rohit Sharma has the most centuries in T20Is as an opener. You can check out Rohit’s T20I hundreds here.
34: Nepal’s Kushal Malla scored an unbeaten 137 at No. 3 and brought up his 100 runs off a mere 34 balls against Mongolia. This is the fastest century by a batter in the T20 International format.
6: Only 2 batters have scored 100 or more runs in a T20I innings while coming to bat No. 6 or lower positions.
2: South Africa’s David Miller is the only batter with 2 100+ scores in T20Is while playing at No. 5. Apart from his 106* mentioned above, Miller scored 101 not out in 36 balls in 2017, which was the then-fastest hundred (35 balls to 100).
16: 2 openers — Hazratullah Zazai and Finn Allen — have smashed the joint-most sixes in a T20I innings. Both batters hit 16 sixes each during their knocks of 162* vs Ireland and 137 vs Pakistan, respectively.
