The death overs in any format of cricket are crucial. In T20Is, it’s a high-octane scenario. For those unaware, death overs are the period of four overs between overs 17th to 20th, which is the final 24 balls of a T20I innings.
Batters are at their slog feast trying to add every run possible to their side’s final score, whereas keeping the score in check is the only job for bowlers.
This article will discuss the top instances where teams scored the most runs in the death overs of a T20I innings.
Most Runs in Death Overs by Teams in a T20I Innings
| RUNS | TEAM | OPPOSITION | VENUE | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 102 | Zimbabwe | Gambia | Nairobi | 2024 |
| 89 | Nepal | Mongolia | Hangzhou | 2023 |
| 81 | India | Afghanistan | Bengaluru | 2024 |
| 79 | West Indies | England | St George's | 2023 |
| 77 | Nepal | Hong Kong | Mulpani | 2023 |
| 76 | England | New Zealand | Napier | 2019 |
| 76 | Norway | Germany | Krefeld | 2021 |
| 75 | Afghanistan | Ireland | Greater Noida | 2017 |
| 75 | West Indies | England | Bristol | 2025 |
| 74 | England | West Indies | St George's | 2023 |
| 74 | India | Australia | Guwahati | 2023 |
| 74 | Afghanistan | Zimbabwe | Mirpur | 2019 |
Key Insights on High-Scoring Death Overs in T20I Cricket
T20I Team Performance Records in Slog Overs
Zimbabwe have scored the most runs in the death overs in a T20I innings. They collected 102 runs off the last four overs against Gambia in the T20 World Cup regional qualifier in 2024.
The 102 runs pumped Zimbabwe’s total from 242 for 4 to 344 for 4, which is the highest team total in T20I cricket.
Nepal’s 89 runs against Mongolia helped them breach the 300-run mark before they finished their innings on 314 for 3. This was the first instance of a men’s team posting a 300-plus total in T20Is.
Afghanistan, England, India, Nepal, and the West Indies have scored 73 or more runs in death overs in two T20I innings each.
The West Indies are the only team to score 73 or more runs in the death overs in two innings against a single opponent in T20Is, having done so against England.
This also makes England the only team to concede 73 or more runs in the slog overs in two T20I innings.
In the 2023 St George’s T20I, the West Indies (79) and England (74) collectively scored 153 runs in the death overs in both innings combined. This is the most runs scored in death overs in both innings combined of a T20I match.
Individual Batting Milestones and Slog Over Records
Sikandar Raza contributed 70 of Zimbabwe’s 102 runs, the most by a batter in the slog overs in a T20I innings. This helped Raza complete his 100 in 33 balls, making it the fastest century by a full-member batter in T20Is.
Dipendra Singh Airee scored 52 of Nepal’s 89 runs against Mongolia in the 2023 Asian Games. He completed his fifty off nine balls, making it the fastest half-century in T20Is.
Airee achieved a strike rate of 520, which is the highest by a batter in a T20I innings (minimum five balls faced).
Expensive Bowling Records in Death Overs
Gambia’s Musa Jobarteh gave away 60 of Zimbabwe’s 102 runs across two overs, the most runs conceded by a bowler in the death overs in a T20I innings.
England’s Stuart Broad (vs India, 2007), Qatar’s Kamran Khan (vs Nepal, 2024), and Afghanistan’s Karim Janat (vs India, 2024) have conceded the joint-most runs in a single death over in T20Is. All three bowlers gave away 36 runs, with Broad and Kamran conceding six sixes in an over.
Read Next | Most ODI Sixes at a Single Venue
