T20 cricket is the fastest-growing format, and the ICC is doing every bit to make it reach every nook and corner of the world. It is slowly getting accepted by countries that don’t usually prefer playing traditionally.
Now T20I cricket is being played among the 108 ICC members, and each of them has a full T20I status starting from January 2019 onwards. As of today, 101 countries have played at least a single T20I game in Men’s cricket and 82 in Women’s cricket. Also, the ICC has proposed a six-team tournament for the 2028 Olympics to be held in Los Angeles for both Men and Women.
The first T20I game was played in 2005 between the traditional rivals New Zealand and Australia, with the former emerging victorious by 44 runs in the game played in Auckland. Until now, more than 2100 T20I games have been played.
Let us take a detailed look at the top 10 sides that have featured in the most T20I games in the format’s brief yet impactful history, which has seen 8 World Cups.
Most T20I Matches Played by a Men’s Team
| Team | Matches | First T20I played | Span |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 251 | August 28, 2006 | 2006-2024 |
| India | 242 | December 1, 2006 | 2006-2024 |
| New Zealand | 222 | February 17, 2005 | 2005-2024 |
| West Indies | 213 | February 16, 2006 | 2006-2024 |
| Australia | 203 | February 17, 2005 | 2005-2024 |
| Sri Lanka | 200 | June 15, 2006 | 2006-2024 |
| England | 199 | June 13, 2005 | 2005-2024 |
| South Africa | 194 | December 1, 2006 | 2006-2024 |
| Bangladesh | 179 | November 28, 2006 | 2006-2024 |
| Ireland | 171 | August 2, 2008 | 2008-2024 |
Key insights from the above stats
2: Only 2 sides have played over 200 T20 games in international cricket, and they are the arch-rivals India and Pakistan. Pakistan played their first ever game in this format in 2006, where the men in green won the game by 5 wickets. While they played their 200th game in the 2022 home series against England in a match at Karachi, where they won by 3 runs.
India, on the other hand, had a winning start to their T20I journey as they registered a close win over South Africa back in 2006. And in the very next year, India became the inaugural T20 World Champions, beating Pakistan in the finals of the tournament held in the same country. India’s 200th T20I game happened in the series against the West Indies in August 2023, which they lost.
6: There have been 6 different World Champions in the history of T20 internationals, namely India (2007), Pakistan (2009), England (2010 & 2022), Sri Lanka (2014), the West Indies (2012 & 2016), and Australia (2021). Only England and the West Indies have managed to win the trophy twice, showing no team has been that dominant in the format.
12: Number of teams to have featured in 100 or more T20I games, including India and Pakistan. The 2 sides that are not on this list but have played over 100 games are Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. The Netherlands and Scotland are the 2 sides that can join the 100-match club soon. The other most active team is the UAE, and they have played over 70 T20Is.
