A wicketkeeper’s role in the 20-over format is not just limited to keeping the wickets but also to scoring quick runs for their team. Most of the keepers come down the order to bat, and they have an enormous task to finish their team’s innings on high or take their side over the ropes.
Since the inception of T20I cricket, this fast-paced format has seen some notable wicketkeeper-batters who have accumulated staggering runs.
So, in this article, let’s take a look at the top 10 wicketkeepers with the most runs in T20Is.
Most Runs by a Wicketkeeper in T20I
| Player | Innings | Runs as WK | High Score | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jos Buttler (ENG) | 107 | 3391 | 101* | 150.11 |
| Mohammad Rizwan (PAK) | 80 | 3053 | 104* | 124.45 |
| Quinton de Kock (SA) | 90 | 2571 | 100 | 138.89 |
| Mohammad Shahzad (AFG) | 72 | 2030 | 118* | 131.90 |
| Nicholas Pooran (WI) | 72 | 1790 | 98 | 136.53 |
| Kusal Mendis (SL) | 60 | 1643 | 86 | 133.90 |
| MS Dhoni (IND) | 85 | 1617 | 56 | 126.13 |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz (AFG) | 61 | 1604 | 100 | 134.22 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (SL) | 53 | 1382 | 78 | 119.55 |
| Brendon McCullum (NZ) | 42 | 1352 | 123 | 139.09 |
Key Insights
3000: As you can see, there is a clear tussle between Jos Buttler and Mohammad Rizwan to claim the top spot. And they are the only 2 wicketkeeper-batters who have crossed the mark of 3000 runs in T20Is.
25: Buttler and Rizwan are also the two keepers to smash 25 or more fifty-plus scores in the shortest format.
100: Buttler, Nicholas Pooran, and Quinton de Kock have hammered more than 100 sixes as wicketkeepers in the shorter format. Buttler and Pooran are even among the top batters with the most sixes in the 20-over format.
123: Brendon McCullum holds the record for the highest individual score by a keeper-batter in T20Is. He scored 123 runs off just 58 deliveries against Bangladesh in 2012. What’s more special about McCullum’s knock is that it came in a T20 World Cup encounter.
104: There are four batters who have scored a century on their T20I debut, and one of them is Leslie Dunbar, who scored it as a wicketkeeper. Dunbar accumulated an unbeaten 104 runs on his T20I debut against Bulgaria in 2019.
3: Sanju Samson became the first wicketkeeper-batter to score three centuries in T20Is. Dunbar and Phil Salt are the other two glovemen with two hundreds.
Read Next | 47 Records held by MS Dhoni in International Cricket [All formats]
