Teams mustering 200+ totals has become a regular sight in T20Is thanks to the pitches that favour batters. But scoring huge totals has also become a necessity for teams, more so if they are batting first.
Even if a team sets a mammoth target, there’s no guarantee of an easy win, as the opponent might come all guns blazing in the chase. However, at times, teams have shown their astute bowling efforts to defend their totals successfully.
This article will shed light on teams successfully defending the most 200+ totals in T20Is.
Most 200+ Totals Successfully Defended in T20Is
| Teams | 200+ Totals Defended |
|---|---|
| India | 27 |
| New Zealand | 16 |
| Australia | 13 |
| England | 12 |
| Nepal | 10 |
| South Africa | 10 |
| West Indies | 9 |
| Malaysia | 9 |
| Sri Lanka | 9 |
| Pakistan | 8 |
| Afghanistan | 7 |
| Scotland | 7 |
| Zimbabwe | 7 |
| Ireland | 6 |
| Japan | 6 |
| Austria | 5 |
| Czech Republic | 5 |
| Hong Kong | 5 |
Key Insights
India has more than 30 200+ totals in T20Is, with a little over 2/3rd coming while batting first. And the Indian team has defended their 200+ totals in close to 80% of those matches, hence leading this chart.
South Africa and the West Indies are the only 2 teams to lose 5 or more matches despite scoring more than 200 runs in the first innings.
Nepal became the first team to score 300+ runs in T20Is. The Himalayan nation posted 314 runs against Mongolia — the highest team total in T20Is.
While defending the mammoth total, Nepal bowled out Mongolia for a mere 41 runs and won the match by 273 runs, registering the largest margin of victory in T20Is.
Australia was the first team to defend a total of 200+ runs in the shortest format. What’s fascinating is that they did it in the first-ever T20 International match played on February 17, 2005. Australia posted 214 runs on the board and restricted New Zealand to 170 runs, winning the match by 44 runs.
